Eskom expects only three days of stage-1 power cuts, where up to 1GW is taken off the national grid, during the winter period when demand increases, the CEO said on Wednesday.

“We anticipate three days of stage-1 load-shedding only during the winter period which is a significant improvement from our previous forecasts,” André du Ruyter told lawmakers in a presentation to parliament.

Cash-strapped Eskom has over the years regularly cut power to residents and businesses as it struggles with ageing coal-fired power plants that generate around 90% of the electricity in country.