City Power has temporarily suspended load reduction from Friday until the end of January.
“This decision comes as a result of a significant drop in electricity demand observed during the festive season,” the City of Johannesburg’s power utility said.
It said over the past few days and weeks many companies, industries and other energy-consuming entities had shut down operations for the December holidays.
Many residents have travelled away from Joburg to spend time with family and friends, resulting in a marked decrease in electricity consumption in the city.
“This reduction in demand, combined with seasonal factors such as warm weather conditions, has contributed to lower energy usage levels, allowing us to temporarily lift load reduction that had been implemented to safeguard the electricity grid.”
It said load reduction was introduced due to critically high electricity consumption levels, putting immense strain on its network infrastructure.
The measures included targeted load reductions in high-density and affluent areas where load demand was extremely high. These actions were necessary to prevent potential overloads and ensure the stability of electricity supply.
“However, other measures that were part of the comprehensive load reduction measures, such as the eradication of illegal connections, will continue.”
City Power urged consumers to continue using electricity sparingly to avoid triggering the need for an emergency reinstatement of load reduction.
“Should we notice a worrying spike in consumption, City Power will be left with no option but to initiate load reduction — even during this period.”
TimesLIVE