Eskom has published an outlook of the loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 20 May 2024.
Loadshedding outlook for this week: Here’s what to expect
On Friday, May 17, 2024, confirmed that rotational blackouts would be delayed for an additional week, marking the continuation of a period without loadshedding that has now eclipsed 53 consecutive days.
The last time South Africa experienced such an extended period without power cuts was from 5 December 2021 to 2 February 2022.
“The results are increasingly now being seen in the reduction of Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) or unplanned maintenance. Reduction in unplanned outages,” the utility said.
Currently, Eskom is maintaining planned maintenance at 4,334 MW, consistent with its winter maintenance schedule.
The power utility also plans to return an additional 3,900 MW of generating capacity to service by Monday, 20 May 2024.
Here’s the loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 20 May 2024
Here is the official loadshedding schedule:
| Date | 00:00 – 05:00 | 05:00 – 16:00 | 16:00 – 20:00 | 20:00 – 00:00 |
| Mon 20 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Tues 21 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Wed 22 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Thurs 23 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Friday 24 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Sat 25 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Sun 26 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
Readers from these metros can check the latest loadshedding schedule below:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City
Loadshedding outlook for this winter
Eskom’s winter outlook, published on 26 April 2024, remains optimistic, with the generation performance exceeding the forecast.
The outlook anticipated unplanned outages ranging from 14,000 MW to 15,500 MW, with loadshedding limited to Stage 2.
However, the improved reliability of the generation fleet suggests that even lower stages of loadshedding, or complete suspension, might be possible.
The usage of Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), which are typically employed during peak demand periods, has significantly decreased.
From 1 May to 16 May 2024, the OCGT load factor was just 4.76%, compared to 22.07% in the same period last year.
Eskom has not used OCGTs at all during the morning and evening peaks for 16 days within the current financial year to date.