Energy analyst says industry shocked by return of Eskom power cuts

JOHANNESBURG - A top energy analyst said, like many South Africans, the industry is shocked by the return of Eskom's power cuts.  

Eskom heralded the return of weekend-long stage three load shedding on Friday.  

ALSO READ:

• Eskom says it had no choice but to implement power cuts in order to restore its energy reserves
• MPs question Eskom’s projected R10bn profit for 2025, warn against paying millions in bonuses

Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced that their best-performing power stations, Matimba and Lethabo, experienced unit failures at the start of the week.  

Energy expert Chris Yelland explained what led to the latest outages.

“It's due to an ageing power plant. It's due to wear and tear on the boilers, and also, you know, caused or accelerated by poor quality coal and poor maintenance practices. 

“So, they've shut these units down and they're going to be coming back, you know, in due course, hopefully by the end of the weekend.”