South Africa: Rolling blackouts continue in South Africa, difficult winter ahead

In South Africa, state power utility Eskom has warned that energy issues will endure and even get worse by winter as the power crisis continues. According to Calib Cassim, Eskom’s acting chief executive, while the country is currently facing outages for more than 10 hours a day, going forward, these outages could be extended for as long as 16 hours.

Last year, the country was faced with Stage 6 power cuts (where 6,000 megawatts are shed from the national grid), however, Cassim says that this winter will be “difficult” and potentially lead to Stage 8. In Stage 8, power outages can last up to 16 hours in a 32-hour cycle; the “worst-ever” blackouts the country has ever faced. 

“The winter outlook indicates an increased risk of supply shortfall against expected demand, with our worst-case scenario indicating that load-shedding could intensify to Stage 8 if our interventions are not successful,” Cassim said.

While in the grips of an energy crisis for the last 16 years, in 2022, there were more power outages in the country than in all those years prior, with 300 load-shedding events.

However, this crisis is unfolding alongside a data center boom in the country, as the region’s primary data center hub; many operators are now building with this in mind to mitigate potential disturbance to operations. Increasingly, South African data centers are turning to solar, but others are relying on diesel generators, a costly option, both financially and environmentally.