Eskom published the weekend loadshedding schedule starting on Friday, which forecasts reduced outages.
Weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 29 December 2023
On Friday, 22 December 2023, Eskom extended the suspension of outages for a second week, citing “consistent improvement in available generating capacity, lower demand, as well as sufficient emergency reserves.”
While the power utility had not updated the schedule for the weekend when this article was published, rumours indicate loadshedding could remain suspended for the foreseeable future.
However, it’s important to note that Eskom is expected to issue a directive on the state of the power system on Friday.
Here’s a look at the provisional weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 29 December 2023:
| Date | Morning Peak (05:00 – 16:00) | Evening Peak (16:00 – 05:00) |
| Friday 29 Dec 2023 | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Saturday 30 Dec 2023 | Suspended* | Suspended* |
| Sunday 31 Dec 2023 | Suspended* | Suspended* |
Update on breakdowns and available capacity
The last state of the power system update was on Sunday, 17 December 2023. At the time, Eskom reported more than 12 648MW of generation capacity lost to breakdowns, with an additional 8 728MW offline due to several units placed out of commission for planned maintenance.
Here is a snapshot of Eskom’s energy availability, observed from the evening peak period of Wednesday, 20 December 2023: