Eskom Celebrates 65 Days Without Loadshedding Amidst Winter Demand
Eskom has announced that loadshedding remains on hold, marking 65 uninterrupted days of stable electricity supply. Announced on Friday, this news underscores the ongoing enhancements in the reliability of South Africa’s power generation fleet and offers much-needed respite as the country heads into the chillier winter season.
Structural Improvements Driving Success
Eskom attributes this success to the effective implementation of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan initiated in March 2023. This strategic move, coupled with extensive planned maintenance, has markedly improved the reliability and availability of the generation fleet.
Key Performance Highlights
Several metrics illustrate Eskom’s progress:
- Reduction in Unplanned Outages: The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) has dropped to 28.37% from 35.5% year-on-year, reflecting a 7.5% improvement during the current financial period (1 April 2024 to 30 May 2024).
- Planned Maintenance: Consistent with maintenance strategies, 4 121 MW of planned maintenance is underway, ensuring fleet sustainability.
- Energy Availability Factor (EAF) Improvement: The EAF has risen significantly to 61.0% year-to-date, up from 52.7% in the previous year. Weekly performance also saw an enhancement from 57.0% to 65.0% during April and May 2024.
- Reduced Use of Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCTs): There has been a notable decline in OCT operations. From 1 April to 30 May 2024, Eskom spent R1.52 billion on OCTs to produce 221.02 GWh, a significant reduction from the previous year’s expenditure of R7.1 billion for 1 159.8 GWh.
Outlook for Winter 2024
Eskom’s winter forecast, published on 26 April 2024, remains on track, bolstered by robust generation performance. The current rate of unplanned outages averages at 12 500 MW, which is 3 000 MW less than anticipated. This favourable scenario has allowed Eskom to project a return of 3 500 MW of generating capacity by Monday, 3 June 2024.
Demand-Side Management
As temperatures drop, Eskom calls on the public to use electricity wisely, especially during peak times from 17:00 to 21:00. This effort is crucial to managing demand and ensuring lower stages of loadshedding.
Political Consensus and Misinformation
Amidst the successes, social media has been rife with speculation that loadshedding will resume after the upcoming elections. Both Minister of Electricity, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and Eskom have dismissed these claims as baseless. Tsakane Khambane, spokesperson in the Ministry of Electricity, emphasised that the reports are “factually incorrect” and aimed at misleading the public.
Dr. Ramokgopa affirmed, “The Ministry remains confident that the work we have been leading over the past 12 months… will continue in the coming months and ultimately place the country on a firm foundation of energy security.”
In summing up the sentiment, Eskom assured that regular updates would be provided to keep the public informed about the power supply status.
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