South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, is set to mark a historic milestone on Monday, 20 January 2025, as it approaches 300 consecutive days without implementing loadshedding.
Eskom boasts about stable grid in this week’s power alert
According to Eskom’s weekly Power Alert, this achievement is the result of a structural shift in operational performance, with key factors contributing to a more stable grid.
Since the suspension of loadshedding on 26 March 2024, the utility has reported significant operational improvements, including a 6.9% year-on-year increase in its Energy Availability Factor (EAF).
The current EAF stands at 61.9%, compared to 54.96% during the same period last year.
These improvements are attributed to strategic maintenance plans and enhanced generation capacity, including the return of major units like Koeberg Unit 2 and Kriel Unit 6.
Eskom has also managed to reduce reliance on diesel-powered Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), leading to a year-to-date diesel expenditure of R9.67 billion—a sharp reduction from R26.09 billion in the same period last year.
Interim CEO Calib Cassim commended Eskom’s operational teams for their efforts.
“This achievement demonstrates Eskom’s commitment to stabilising South Africa’s energy supply and fostering socio-economic growth,” he said.
Eskom’s winter loadshedding plan
While celebrating these gains, Eskom has teased its winter preparedness strategy to ensure continued grid stability.
Planned maintenance and strategic use of peaking stations, including pumped storage facilities and OCGTs, remain critical components of the approach.
As part of its summer outlook (effective from 1 September 2024 to 31 March 2025), Eskom projected a likely scenario of a loadshedding-free season due to structural improvements.
The utility has maintained unplanned outages below the 13,000MW summer base case threshold, with current outages averaging 12,040MW.
Eskom, however, still has a long way to go in combating network overloading and illegal connections, which remain challenges in certain areas.
These issues, the utility warned, often lead to localised power disruptions.
Despite the optimistic outlook, Eskom remains cautious, noting that the 300-day milestone is not a definitive guarantee of a loadshedding-free future.