South Africa’s Eskom utility has restored six power plant units after implementing its highest level of power cuts early on Sunday, following multiple failures at Majuba and Camden power stations over the weekend.
On Saturday, Eskom enforced Stage 3 power cuts, which reduced the national grid’s capacity by 3,000 megawatts.
“Of the 10 units we lost overnight, we’ve managed to bring six back online,” said Dan Marokane, Eskom’s CEO, in a statement on Sunday.
He added that another five to six units were expected to be operational later in the day, recovering 3,200 MW of capacity. Eskom anticipates ending the current power cut stage by the end of the week, and if recovery continues at the current pace, the utility may reduce the power cuts by Monday.
The ongoing breakdowns at Eskom’s aging coal-fired plants, which provide the majority of electricity in South Africa, are a primary cause of the frequent power outages. Eskom’s load-shedding system operates in stages, with Stage 1 reducing 1,000 MW from the grid, and Stage 6, the highest level, representing the most severe power cuts to date.
