More than 80 days of NO load shedding

Load shedding will remain suspended after over 80 consecutive days of NO load shedding.

ESKOM INDICATED THAT LOAD SHEDDING WOULD REMAIN SUSPENDED

Eskom said this is due to the continued improvement in the reliability and stability of the generation coal fleet.

“The last time South Africa experienced such an extended suspension of load shedding was the period between 23 July 2021 and 06 October 2021.”

The power utility said the generation performance continues to surpass the winter forecast for this year.

THE GENERATION PERFORMANCE CONTINUES TO SURPASS THE WINTER FORECAST

The current unplanned outage average is at 12 000MW.  

Last year, Eskom appointed Dan Marokane as its new CEO.

Eskom Group Chief Executive (GCE) Dan Marokane shared the progress from his first 100 days in office towards addressing Eskom’s business challenges and to repositioning the utility for growth and sustainability.

He said the first 100 days have been focused on assessing the effectiveness of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan, reviewing the progress on implementing Eskom’s unbundling, engaging with internal and external stakeholders to create and build alignment, and putting in place the building blocks for creating a competitive and sustainable Eskom.

THIS PERFORMANCE COMES FROM A SUSTAINED MULTIDIMENSIONAL PROGRAM

“The Generation performance has shown a step change, with almost 80 days of no load shedding to date and unplanned outages consistently around 12GW (with a low of 9.5GW at one point), which is below the winter planning assumption of 15.5GW, which would trigger up to Stage 2 load shedding on some days.”

He furthermore said this performance comes from a sustained multi-dimensional program. Consisting of adequate human resources, aggressive planned maintenance based on financial certainty, the use of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for critical systems, and progressive implementation of interventions in response to the VGBe findings.

IT HAS HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON ESKOM’S FINANCIALS

This improved performance has also had a positive impact on Eskom’s financials given the significant year-on-year reduction in the usage of diesel through Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), translating to over R4 billion in savings in the current financial year.

“Eskom’s executives and employees have helped deliver these significant results to date, and we have a good base on which to build. I have also noticed a significant improvement in morale,” said Marokane.

WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE NEXT 36 MONTHS?

Over the next 36 months Eskom will pursue its strategy across a number of key initiatives to deliver value. These include:

• Increasing the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) to 70% in the next 12 to 36 months.
• Returning more than 2.5GW in capacity to the grid by March 2025 and developing an executable initial pipeline of at least 2GW of clean energy projects by 2026. 
• Re-baselining the cost trajectory and improving efficiencies.
• Advocating and pursuing a sustainable solution on municipality debt.
• Delivering the unbundling of the Distribution and Generation divisions.
• Accelerating the implementation of initiatives to enable a Just Energy Transition.

“We are putting the building blocks in place to rebuild trust and credibility in Eskom through transparent performance. With the intent to re-affirm the company as worthy of further future investment as we undertake our strategic initiatives. It is our intention to remain a critical player in South Africa’s evolving future energy market,” Marokane continued.