Rolling electricity blackouts enter fifth day

South Africa entered a fifth day of rolling blackouts Thursday as the government prepares to announce a raft of measures to end electricity shortages that are having a debilitating impact on the economy.

State power utility Eskom will cut 2 000 megawatts from the South African grid Thursday after it lost three power generation units with a combined 823 megawatts, it said in a statement late Wednesday. While one unit of 600 megawatts was successfully restored, its power generation system remains “vulnerable”.

“While there has been some improvement, the power system continues to remain vulnerable. Should Eskom experience significant unplanned generator trips, this could impact the magnitude and risk of load shedding,” the company said. Thursday’s cuts are less severe than the previous two days, when the utility removed 3 000 megawatts from the grid, and February 12, when 4 000 megawatts were shed.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government will outline plans to help save Eskom Thursday. More measures will be announced in the budget statement next week to help the cash-strapped utility stay afloat.

Read: Eskom in danger of collapse without bailout, South Africa says