Eskom's head Dan Marokane confirmed that of the 10 units lost, six have been restored, adding approximately 3,200 MW back to the grid. He noted that efforts are underway to return an additional five to six units to operation throughout the day, with full restoration of all affected units expected by Tuesday.
Majuba Power Station, which suffered a major setback due to transformer overload, has already brought back two of its lost units, with two more expected to return later in the day. Camden Power Station, which experienced cooling water pump failures, also managed to bring back one unit by early morning, with the remaining units anticipated to be operational in the coming days.
Marokane highlighted that despite the recent disruptions, both Majuba and Camden power stations have performed well in terms of overall generation recovery. Majuba had been running at an average 68% Energy Availability Factor, while Camden operated at 61% before the incident. He emphasized the importance of the ongoing maintenance efforts, which have contributed to the stability and resilience of the power grid.
Eskom anticipates stepping down from Stage 6 load shedding by Monday and aims to phase out power cuts by the end of the next week, depending on the pace of recovery. The company is also working on restoring reserves, including fuel and water levels at key stations, to ensure long-term grid stability.
Marokane expressed confidence in the operational teams, commending their dedication and hard work in swiftly diagnosing and addressing the issues. The recovery of additional capacity is expected to further strengthen Eskom’s ability to manage demand fluctuations and reduce the risk of future disruptions.