Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has attributed the unwelcome return of Stage 6 load shedding to a combination of increased planned maintenance and a surge in unplanned breakdowns.

During a virtual briefing following Eskom's announcement of Stage 6 load shedding until further notice, Ramokgopa explained that Eskom had been scaling up planned maintenance as it exited the high-demand winter period, which had a cap of 2,500 MW for planned outages. However, this increase coincided with a spike in unplanned breakdowns, breaching 17,290 MW on September 5, averaging over 15,500 MW since August 28, with partial load losses averaging above 5,895 MW.

Eskom has previously indicated that the intensity of load shedding rises significantly when unplanned breakdowns exceed 15,000 MW. Ramokgopa added that Eskom expected to bring various units back online in the coming days, which would enable a tapering down of load shedding later in the week.

He emphasized that there would be no compromise on planned maintenance, especially with Eskom now having the financial certainty, thanks to a R254-billion debt-relief package from the National Treasury, to prepare for such outages and secure the necessary spares and skills.

Ramokgopa and Eskom's generation head, Bheki Nxumalo, argued that the performance of the fleet was improving, despite the energy availability factor (EAF) remaining below 2022 levels year-to-date. Nxumalo noted that this was mainly due to the loss of the three Kusile units and the delayed return of Koeberg Unit 1 from an extended outage.

The return of the three Kusile units and simultaneous synchronization of Kusile Unit 5 in November, along with efforts to recover 1,680 MW from Tutuka power station by January, offered optimism for improved power supply.

Ramokgopa also clarified that load shedding was not influenced by events, such as the recent BRICS summit, and thus, Eskom couldn't guarantee no cuts during the Rugby World Cup, where the Springboks aimed to defend their title.