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Cargo shedding will shift to Stage 3 on Friday.
Eskom will reduce the load reduction to Stage 3, as improved cold weather conditions have reduced demand, but blackouts are expected to continue through the weekend.
On Wednesday, the power company had increased rotational power outages to Stage 4, plunging the country into long hours of blackouts that have affected homes and businesses still battling the crippling effect of the Covid-19 shutdown.
“Eskom will reduce load shedding to Stage 3 from 08:00 to 22:00 tomorrow,” the company said in an update.
The power producer warned that its system “remains unreliable and vulnerable,” although engineers had successfully returned generating units at the Tutuka, Matla, Majuba and Camden power plants.
However, two other units subsequently suffered breakdowns, with unplanned breakdowns now at 11,185MW of capacity, adding to the 5,040MW currently under planned maintenance, according to the company.
Eskom had previously said that the cuts were necessary to avoid the collapse of the power system nationwide. Last week, the Camden Power Station came back online after a four-month service shutdown.
* Compiled by Sibongile Khumalo
