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No Special Treatment for BRICS Summit: Johannesburg to Face Possible Load Shedding
Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned electricity supplier, has asserted that there will be no special treatment for Joburg during the BRICS summit when it comes to power cuts, according to Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
news24 reports that the BRICS summit will occur at the Sandton Convention Centre from August 22 to 24. While Brazil, India, and China leaders will attend, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia.
Addressing the media during his customary Sunday briefing, Ramokgopa underlined that Eskom had not issued any specific directives to suspend load shedding in Johannesburg during the summit’s duration.
“Johannesburg will be expected – if there is load shedding on the day – to make its contribution to ensuring we protect the grid,” Ramokgopa stated.
Also read: Load Shedding Persists During BRICS Conference in Johannesburg
The minister explained that Eskom’s load-shedding decisions are grounded in hard data rather than accommodating special events. He emphasised that the system operator’s considerations focus on demand and available generation, with each region required to contribute.
Ramokgopa also pointed out that the absence of load shedding during the BRICS events could be due to a lack of load shedding across Eskom or simply not within the load shedding schedule for those specific areas.
He elaborated that Johannesburg could potentially decide to forego power cuts in certain zones as a particular determination.
As Johannesburg gears up to host this significant international summit, the city must manage its power supply responsibly, in line with Eskom’s broader strategy to maintain grid stability.
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Picture: Facebook / Marco Machona
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