Higher levels of load shedding in recent days have been scheduled to refill reserves, South Africa's Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa explained on Saturday during a press briefing in Pretoria.
To a large extent this was because of planned unit outages, the minister clarified, adding that the measure would allow Eskom to carry out maintenance on the units.
"We planned maintenance, and we are ramping it up so that when these units come back healthy, they will be able to give us a significant amount of hours and also perform at design capacity and as a result of that action we are beginning to see the units tripping on their own is coming down," Ramokgopa was quoted by the media as saying.
On Thursday, Eskom launched the fourth stage of load shedding in the country, but a reprieve is expected on Sunday morning, according to the outlet.
In late June, the minister highlighted the progress made in controlling rolling blackouts and improving the country's power situation. This was followed by the August statement of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that the energy crisis will be resolved by 2024.
However, on 28 August, Ramokgopa noted that the state's electricity distribution system is worrisome as it is plagued by disputes between Eskom and municipalities. According to the minister, financially distressed local authorities fail to provide the necessary maintenance for the distribution system, which may lead to its breakdown.
As well as load-shedding, South Africa has resorted to international partnerships as a way of overcoming the energy crisis. For instance, during the BRICS Summit of 22 to 24 August, the country signed an agreement with China's largest grid operator on renewable energy cooperation, which includes donation to South Africa of some solar and battery units for use in public facilities, local media revealed.
Furthermore, on 16 August, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Sergey Mochalnikov and South African Ambassador to Russia Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka held talks about building a gas power plant in the African country.