Eskom has announced that loadshedding will remain suspended in the week starting Monday, 27 May 2024, owing to sustained improvements in generation performance.
Loadshedding outlook for this week: Here’s what to expect
This suspension continues through the voting day on Wednesday, 29 May 2024, marking the 58th consecutive day without loadshedding.
This extended period without interruptions is the longest since the stretch from 5 December 2021 to 2 February 2022.
The Generation Operational Recovery Plan, initiated in March 2023, and extensive planned maintenance have enhanced the reliability and availability of Eskom’s generation fleet.
This has led to a reduction in the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), which stands at 28.37% for the financial year to date, down from 35.5% during the same period last year.
The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has shown steady improvement, reaching 60.61% year-to-date, an 8.2% increase from last year’s 52.4%.
The daily EAF has averaged 61.3%, bolstered by a 7% decrease in unplanned outages.
Current planned maintenance is consistent with winter requirements, and there has been no increased use of Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs).
The OCGT load factor has significantly decreased, with spending on OCGTs dropping by about 75% compared to last year.
A total of 4,260MW of generating capacity is expected to return to service by Monday, 27 May 2024.
Here’s the loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 27 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 27 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Tues 28 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Wed 29 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Thurs 30 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Friday 31 May 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Sat 1 June 24 | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Sun 2 June 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.
