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2023 was the worst year yet for load-shedding, and many feared 2024 would bring more of the same — or worse.
Somewhat surprisingly, that hasn’t been the case.
Eskom hasn’t scheduled load-shedding since March 2024.
As of the time of writing, that’s almost six months without nationwide rolling blackouts.
That’s a significant improvement over the same period a year ago, thanks largely to reduced demand and expanded capacity.
However, many communities across South Africa aren’t out of the woods just yet.
Read on to learn more about Eskom’s new policy of load reduction that targets specific areas rather than the national grid as a whole.
What Is Load Reduction?
Load reduction is an Eskom strategy that restricts electricity consumption in localised areas to protect grid infrastructure and human life.
Unlike load-shedding, which requires shutting down power nationwide with scheduled rolling blackouts, load reduction targets excess electricity consumption in specific communities and neighbourhoods.
By throttling electricity consumption in localised areas—or cutting it off completely—Eskom hopes to avoid load-shedding and prolonged widespread outages.
Impacted Areas and Localized Issues
Network and transformer overload is always a concern for Eskom — particularly during the winter months.
The grid comes under significant strain as people consume more electricity to heat their homes.
Load reduction has been implemented in specific areas in the following parts of the country to help prevent widespread outages and damage to the national grid.
- Limpopo
- Western Cape
- Eastern Cape
- Gauteng
- Mpumalanga
- KwaZulu-Natal
- North West
Transformer overloading occurs most frequently during peak hours:
- 5:00 am – 7:00 am
- 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Eskom has pledged to “communicate with [load reduction] affected customers through the normal channels, including SMS and Customer Connect newsletters.”
Further, “In areas where load reduction has been implemented in the past, Eskom has seen a significant reduction in equipment failure and prolonged outages.”
Illegal Connections
According to Eskom, “About 94% of the total overloaded transformers [face damage or destruction due to] electricity theft and indiscriminate use of electricity.”
Transformers exploding due to illegal connections, equipment theft, and vandalism have caused lengthy power outages, severe injuries and loss of life.
Electrical faults in ageing transformers have been implicated in multiple deaths.
In addition to load reduction measures, the government recently launched a Save Your Transformers, Save Lives campaign to raise awareness about the human and financial costs of electricity theft and tampering.
In May 2024, the utility claimed:
“In the past 12 months, Eskom has spent over R300 million replacing failed transformers and mini substations without any revenue for its efforts. This threatens its ability to deliver on its mandate to supply quality electricity to its customers.”
Infrastructure Challenges
The impact of electricity theft and misfeasance is undeniable…
But that doesn’t mean the supply issues and infrastructure challenges that have plagued Eskom for over a decade have been resolved.
However, progress has been made, particularly in the last two years.
In 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the Energy Action Plan and a roadmap to end load-shedding, including the following commitments.
- Fix Eskom and improve the availability of existing supply.
- Enable and accelerate private investment in generation capacity.
- Accelerate procurement of new capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage.
- Unleash businesses and households to invest in rooftop solar.
- Fundamentally transform the electricity sector to achieve long-term energy security.
Additionally, Ramaphosa created a new position in the government, appointing Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as electricity minister.
The 18-month progress report on the Energy Action Plan, released in March 2024, charts significant progress, including the following highlights.
- Following the introduction of powerful tax incentives and financing mechanisms, the amount of rooftop solar installed by businesses and households has more than doubled to over 5000 MW, helping to reduce demand on the grid.
- The Eskom Standard Offer Programme has been implemented with a total of 1136.5 MW approved to date, exceeding the initial target of 1000 MW.
- The first project from Eskom’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) programme has been connected to the grid and will provide 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of storage capacity. Seven other projects are in construction as part of Phase 1 of the programme, which will together provide a total of 833MWh of capacity.
R254 billion in debt relief from the treasury has also helped shore up Eskom’s financial position.
Public frustration with load-shedding arguably led to the ANC’s failure to capture a majority for the first time since free elections were held in 1994.
Minister Ramokgopa said, “Our core base was not convinced that the administration is capable and willing to resolve the problem. We have paid the penalty, we are here, and the government of national unity are committed to that and to resolve the South African problem. I’m confident that we’ll get it right.”
But President Ramaphosa admits that load-shedding is not yet in the rearview mirror.
“It is too soon to claim victory. Our electricity system is still vulnerable, and we cannot yet rule [load-shedding] out —yes — possible challenges going forward.”
What Is Load Shedding?
As everyone living in South Africa knows, load-shedding is the practice of shutting down portions of the electrical grid for scheduled rolling blackouts.
The purpose of load-shedding is to reduce strain on the electrical grid and prevent extended nationwide power outages.
First instituted in 2007, load-shedding has been common practice ever since, with 2023 being the worst year on record.
Load-shedding occurs in stages, traditionally from one to eight, with eight being the most severe.
In April 2024, Nersa expanded the stages of load-shedding to include 16 different levels.
As of September 2023, Eskom is not currently implementing load-shedding.
What Are the Key Differences Between Load Reduction and Load Shedding?
The main difference between load reduction and load-shedding is that far fewer people are affected when Eskom implements targeted power cuts and consumption restrictions instead of rolling blackouts.
Load reduction has played a crucial role in Eskom’s suspension of load-shedding, which has lasted far longer than many experts predicted.
Here are Eskom’s key points on load reduction:
- Load reduction is not load-shedding
- Load reduction is implemented in areas identified as high-risk due to increased energy consumption
- Implementation will occur during peak hours when demand is highest
- Communication with our customers will be maintained
- Efforts will be made to restore full power as quickly as possible once the risk decreases
- Customers should not report faults during load reduction periods and should treat all installations as live and dangerous
If you live in an area affected by load reduction, the fine points of how it differs from load-shedding will likely be of little comfort.
However, for the majority of South Africans who aren’t subject to load reduction, it’s a vast improvement over the status quo of load-shedding.
Final Thoughts
After a brutal year of load-shedding in 2023, this year has been an unexpected relief.
Eskom has made significant strides in establishing energy security in large parts of the country, but much uncertainty remains.
Even if you’re not subject to load reduction, unscheduled blackouts remain a regular occurrence.
If you want to ensure you and your family have electricity when you need it most, you need a backup plan.
EcoFlow’s solar generators provide essential home backup for protection during scheduled or unscheduled power outages.
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