POLL | Eskom says SA will experience load-shedding for five more years — what is your reaction?

Load-shedding won't be over any time soon and South Africans have to brace themselves for five more years of blackouts. This is according to Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.

“There will be a shortfall in the supply of electricity of approximately 4,000MW over the next five years,” he said on Monday during a media briefing about the state of the power utility.

He said Eskom will continue to grapple with capacity challenges due to ageing power fleets. This will be compounded by deferred maintenance of power stations by the utility.

Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer assured South Africans Eskom is focused on improving its operations by fixing design defects at newer power stations and extending the life of older units.

He said the maintenance of power stations is vital in reducing power cuts.

“If you take Kusile and Medupi out of the equation, the average age of the coal-fired power stations are in excess of 40 years old. So if you don't maintain it and you run it in the red all the time, then it is very clear why you find yourself where we find ourselves at this point in time.”

SA is currently experiencing stage 2 load-shedding until Wednesday morning due to a loss of generating capacity.