JOHANNESBURG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on Friday reassured the public that technical teams are working to improve the performance of struggling coal power stations and prevent the return of load-shedding, or rolling blackouts.
"I want to put the country at ease. We are going through a wobble. We have identified where the challenges are, and we are addressing them," said Ramokgopa.
Ramokgopa visited Lethabo and Kendal power stations earlier this week, where he was briefed on the operational challenges affecting their performance.
"We've lost three units each at these two power stations. We are trying to understand the challenges. I must say most have recovered tremendously from the levels they were at four to three weeks ago," he said.
South Africa's state power utility Eskom reintroduced load-shedding twice in February after more than 10 months of uninterrupted electricity supply. Some of the utility's best-performing coal stations have seen a decline in energy availability in recent months, which led to another brief round of load-shedding in March.
Ramokgopa added that they are working to find "lasting solutions," as a stable and reliable electricity supply is critical to the country's economic growth and recovery. ■