Eskom Escalates Load Shedding to Stage 6 Amid Power Station Failures

Eskom has ramped up load shedding to Stage 6 until further notice following multiple unit failures at Camden Power Station in Mpumalanga.

Unexpected Unit Failures Lead to Severe Power Cuts

The latest round of outages began at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, initially at Stage 3, before escalating due to further unit breakdowns at Majuba and Medupi Power Stations. These failures resulted in a loss of 3,864 MW in generation capacity, compounding an already strained power grid.

Eskom confirmed that planned maintenance accounted for an additional 7,506 MW in downtime, further limiting available electricity supply.

“In addition to replenishing emergency reserves and preparing for the week ahead, Stage 6 load shedding was essential,” Eskom said in a statement.

First Stage 6 Outage Since February

This marks the first return to Stage 6 load shedding since February 2024, underscoring the ongoing reliability issues with Eskom’s aging infrastructure.

Eskom had previously celebrated a significant milestone in January after 300 consecutive days without load shedding, a record last achieved in 2018. However, the latest crisis highlights persistent vulnerabilities in the national grid, raising concerns over energy security in the coming months.

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