Power system 'under strain'

South Africa remains vulnerable to power outages due to unplanned breakdowns at existing plants and delays in bringing new ones on line, the electricity minister has warned.

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"Even as I speak to you now, the system is under tremendous strain," said Kgosientsho Ramokgopa at a conference in Cape Town on Tuesday. Keeping the power supply stable is one of the things that “give me sleepless nights”, he said.

Africa’s largest economy was subjected to years of rolling blackouts as state utility Eskom, which provides more than 80% of SA’s electricity, failed to keep pace with demand.

The almost-daily outages reached record levels in 2023 and were halted in March last year - respite Eskom attributed to improved maintenance as it delayed the planned retirement of some older plants until new capacity is added.