South Africa Suspends Electricity Blackouts, State Utility Company Says
13:14 14.12.2023 (Updated: 13:26 14.12.2023)
© AP Photo / Themba Hadebe
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Daily scheduled blackouts, imposed on South Africa due to the energy crisis in the country, have intensified this year in comparison with 2022, the state-owned utility company said. However, in late August, the country's President, Cyril Ramaphosa, underlined that the energy crisis would be resolved by 2024.
South Africa suspends electricity blackouts "until further notice," state-owned utility company Eskom announced on Saturday.
"Due to further improvement in available generating capacity, loadshedding will remain suspended until further notice. [State power utility] Eskom will communicate should any significant changes occur," the state company declared.
South Africa has struggled with unprecedented severe rolling blackouts due to insufficient energy generation capacity for more than a year.
"It is not possible to predict at this stage how long the suspension will last. We encourage the public to monitor their consumption, especially during peak hours," Eskom spokeswoman Daphne Mokwena said, adding that load shedding could otherwise resume "at any time."
In late August, the South African leader assured that the country would overcome the energy crisis, which prompted Eskom to impose daily blackouts, by 2024.
In order to ramp up energy generation, the country resorted to various measures to improve the situation. On Tuesday, the government announced that South Africa plans to add 2,500 megawatts of new nuclear generation to tackle power outages in the country.
In addition, in November, the country accelerated plans for three gigawatts (GW) of gas-fired power generation to address the crisis, the country's Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said.
