---
title: "SOEs: Outages suspended; Karpowership permit"
description: "Eskom has suspended electricity outages until at least 22 December after an improvement in generating capacity, it said in a statement."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Business Maverick"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-18-soes-outages-suspended-karpowership-permit/"
published: "2023-12-18T10:17:12"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 306
---

# SOEs: Outages suspended; Karpowership permit

> Eskom has suspended electricity outages until at least 22 December after an improvement in generating capacity, it said in a statement.

By Bloomberg · Published 18 December 2023, 12:17 SAST

## Key points
- After two years of delays, Eskom is finally taking steps to acquire additional electricity from private companies while shareholders are providing Transnet with money to buy spares for locomotives in order to bolster South Africa's energy supply.
- Eskom suspends loadshedding until 16:00 on Friday
- Eskom submits Section 54 application to National Treasury for electricity purchase agreement with Karpowership
- South Africa issues request for 7,615 megawatts of solar, wind, gas and battery storage power projects
- Coal companies provide Transnet money to buy spares for locomotives

## Content

[*#LoadsheddingUpdate*](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoadsheddingUpdate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)*Sunday, 17 December 2023: Due to consistent improvement in available generating capacity, loadshedding will remain suspended until 16:00 on Friday. Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate should any significant changes occur. The evening…*

*— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom\_SA)*[*December 17, 2023*](https://twitter.com/Eskom_SA/status/1736363548681367724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Eskom asked the National Treasury for permission to sign an electricity purchase agreement with Karpowership, bringing the Turkish company a step closer to fulfilling a contract it won to supply the national grid more than two years ago.

The national power utility said it submitted a Section 54 application to the Treasury, which it has to do to comply with the Public Finance Management Act.

Read More: [Eskom Seeks Approval to Buy Electricity From Karpowership](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-15/eskom-seeks-approval-to-buy-electricity-from-karpowership)

South Africa issued a request for private companies to build 7,615 megawatts of solar, wind, gas and battery storage power projects.

The country is seeking 1,800 megawatts of solar power and 3,200 megawatts of wind energy from private companies, the Independent Power Producer Office said in a statement on its website on Thursday. That’s under the so-called Bid Window 7, for which bids are due by 30 April.

Coal companies are providing state rail and port company Transnet SOC money to buy spares for locomotives, Business Day reported.

Transnet has about 200 idle locomotives because Chinese Railway Rolling Stock Corp won’t provide parts, the newspaper reported.

Shareholders in the Richards Bay Coal Terminal — which include Glencore Plc — are coming together to help Transnet Freight Rail buy some spares, the newspaper said, citing Thungela Resources chief financial officer Deon Smith.

[Shipments](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-29/south-african-export-coal-rail-deliveries-face-sixth-annual-drop) of the dirtiest fossil fuel by the logistics firm from mines mainly in Mpumalanga province to RBCT are on pace to reach 47.4 million tons this year. That would miss Transnet’s own target and be the lowest level in at least three decades.