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South Africa's state-owned power utility, Eskom, said the country is facing what could be the most severe power crisis in history, with the possibility of implementing the highest level of power cuts during this winter season, according to a senior executive on May 18.
South Africa, the most industrialized economy in Africa, is grappling with frequent breakdowns at Eskom's coal-fired power plants, resulting in rotational power outages lasting over 10 hours a day for most households and bringing businesses to a standstill.
As the southern hemisphere enters winter, the demand for heating is expected to increase, widening the gap between electricity supply and demand and adding extra pressure to South Africa's power grid.
"It's going to be a very tough winter," said Segomoco Scheppers, head of Eskom's transmission division, as reported by Reuters.
Currently, South Africa is implementing Stage 6 load shedding, which involves reducing 6,000 MW of electricity capacity from the national grid. Scheppers indicated that the measures might be escalated to Stage 8 during this winter season, which would mean cutting 8,000 MW from the grid, resulting in power outages of up to 16 hours within a 32-hour cycle.
He stated that Stage 8 load shedding would be one of the options if Eskom's interventions prove ineffective. While power cuts are necessary to prevent a complete grid collapse, Scheppers added that the possibility of a nationwide blackout, where electricity supply is halted across the entire country, is very low.
The power crisis has had a severe impact on South Africa's economy, with a decline of approximately 5% in GDP in 2022, according to Eskom.
Eskom plays a critical role in ensuring a stable electricity supply in South Africa, but the aging infrastructure and operational challenges have posed significant hurdles. The government is under pressure to find long-term sustainable solutions to alleviate the power crisis and minimize the economic impact on the country.
(Writing by Alex Guo Editing by Harry Huo)
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