From Coal to Renewable Energy: Addressing South Africa’s Load Shedding Problem

South Africa recently suffered another bout of load shedding, this time at Stage 6, as Eskom struggles to cope with an increasingly fragile system. Despite its previous system report indicating that the situation had stabilised, the power company subsequently announced higher stages of load shedding would continue until further notice. Eskom blames the increased demand that followed the long weekend, as well as leaving schools for a higher demand on the system, and multiple outages caused by various breakdowns at power stations. While there were no significant infrastructural changes that would have increased the risk of a collapse of the grid, there are three things that must happen at the same time to resolve the issue of load shedding:

• Maintaining the coal-fired power stations and getting them to a higher energy availability factor
• Introducing new generation to the grid
• Tackling corruption within Eskom’s operations and supply chain

As winter approaches, the public is being warned to prepare for prolonged periods of load shedding.

Effects of load shedding

Load shedding has become a daily reality for residents in South Africa, with power cuts disrupting businesses, hospitals, and households. The ongoing impact can lead to reduced productivity, stalled operations, and reduced revenue for businesses, as well as making it difficult for households to perform everyday tasks, use electronic devices, and cook. Load shedding can also be life-threatening for patients in hospitals who rely on electrical equipment like ventilators and dialysis machines.

City of Cape Town’s Stage 5, 4, and 6 load shedding

Residents in the City of Cape Town are being impacted by load shedding at Stage 5, 4, and 6, with the City warning that the colder and shorter days of winter are just exacerbating the problem. With Eskom unable to meet the demand as temperatures drop, and businesses, households, and hospitals need more energy. From June until the end of October, South Africa is likely to experience a minimum of Stage 2 or 3 load shedding; only in December is adequate generation expected to meet demand.

South Africa remains plagued by the problem of load shedding, with Eskom struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for electricity. With winter approaching, the country’s infrastructure is expected to come under increased strain, and residents will be left in the dark for hours on end. As the coal-fired power stations struggle to maintain their operations, new sources of energy, and changes to Eskom’s operations and supply chains will be needed to resolve the ongoing problem of load shedding. In light of this, the public is advised to prepare themselves for prolonged periods of load shedding to avoid any unforeseen disruptions.