Eskom denies reports of 14-hour load shedding next month

As the winter season approaches, Eskom has denied reports that it plans to implement 14-hour load shedding.

This comes after a post was circulated on social media platforms about the rolling blackout next month.

“14-hour load shedding: Residents of Gauteng and the Northern Cape are set to face significant disruptions this week with a scheduled 14-hour load shedding. As the national power grid struggles to meet demand, these prolonged outages are expected to impact daily life significantly,” the post claimed.

Fake news

Eskom labelled the report as fake news.

“Eskom categorically rejects the false claims circulating online about a 14-hour outage or imminent load shedding. These reports are completely untrue”.

Eskom said the power system is stable.

“Load shedding has remained suspended since 22:00 on 15 May 2025. There are no planned outages of this scale.

“Misinformation causes unnecessary alarm. Stay informed— trust only official Eskom updates on our official platforms.  Be vigilant, verify information before you share,” Eskom said.

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Winter outlook

Meanwhile, Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the power system demonstrated resilience as the cold front hit some parts of the country.

“System constraints remain, and adequate emergency reserves are in place and strategically deployed to support demand during the morning and evening peak winter periods.

“As the winter season sets in, planned maintenance has gradually decreased, averaging 4 482MW this week (16 to 22 May 2025)—slightly higher than the typical winter maintenance levels in prior years,” Mokwena said.

Diesel expenditure

She said the Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) load factor decreased to 7.65% compared to 10.94% in the previous week (9 to 15 May 2025).

“The diesel expenditure is still within budget for the current financial year. Diesel usage is expected to decline further as more units return from long-term repairs and maintenance activities are reduced, increasing available generation capacity”.

Load shedding in Winter

Mokwena said the winter outlook covering the period ending 31 August 2025, remains valid.

She said it indicates that load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW.

“If outages rise to 15 000MW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to stage 2,” Mokwena said.

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