City Power and Eskom have agreed to work together to protect power grid in the national interest

25 October 2021

Eskom and City Power have agreed to work together in the national interest and to protect the national grid. City Power will follow and implement the directive of the System Operator, and implement loadshedding on its customers in the City of Johannesburg as required. The collective understanding by both entities is to protect the national power grid while reducing the impact of loadshedding.

Eskom and City Power will continue searching for a lasting technical solution which would result in City Power customers in the City of Johannesburg being partially excluded from loadshedding.

To achieve this end City Power, the electricity company owned by the City of Johannesburg, has entered into a power purchase agreement with the Kelvin Power Station, which will enable City Power to draw additional capacity to offset the first two stages of loadshedding. After concluding the transaction, City Power wrote to Eskom few days ago requesting to be excluded from loadshedding at Stages 1 and 2.

Technical teams from both Eskom and City Power will continue to consider the technical aspects of the Kelvin Power Station and verify the additional capacity that can be added to the national grid. The teams will also explore technical possibilities that may see City of Johannesburg partially shielded from loadshedding in future.

Issued by Eskom Media Desk, 25 October 2021