Eskom celebrated 50 consecutive days without loadshedding while cautioning that South Africa could face Stage 5 blackouts during the upcoming winter months.
Eskom celebrates 50 days of no loadshedding
Eskom’s board chairperson, Mteto Nyati, expressed optimism during an interview with Newzroom Afrika, celebrating the achievement of 50 days without loadshedding.
Nyati highlighted the significant strides made by Eskom in stabilising the power grid through a comprehensive generation recovery plan implemented over the past year.
“We are taking it one day at a time,” Nyati said.
Nyati explained that the utility’s focus over the past year has been on rigorous maintenance and upgrading of its fleet of power generation units.
This effort has already shown results, with a marked decrease in unplanned outages and an improvement in overall operational efficiency.
Eskom’s goal is to continue these efforts for another year to fully stabilise the power supply and potentially end loadshedding altogether.
Stage 5 darkness looms this winter
Despite the recent progress, Eskom has warned that the upcoming winter could bring significant challenges.
Nyati stated that while the goal is to keep loadshedding at lower stages, the most severe scenario could see the country experiencing Stage 5 blackouts.
This projection is based on the possibility of unplanned outages reaching up to 17,000MW, which would necessitate higher stages of loadshedding to manage the grid.
Eskom’s forecast for the winter of 2024, which spans from April to August, predominantly anticipates Stage 2 loadshedding.
However, in the worst-case scenario, if the number of unplanned outages peaks, Stage 5 loadshedding might become necessary.
This is still an improvement compared to the previous year, when the fear of reaching Stage 8 was prevalent.
Over the past year, Eskom has made significant improvements in its operations.
The utility reduced unplanned losses by 9% and decreased unit breakdowns by 19%. These efforts contributed to the current stability and the achievement of 50 days without loadshedding.
Eskom aims to reduce unplanned losses further by 1,700MW and implement around 400MW of additional demand-side management initiatives.
For consumers, this means that while there is hope for minimal disruption, they should remain prepared for possible loadshedding during the winter months.
Eskom’s planned-for case scenario predicts up to 50 days of loadshedding at Stage 1 or 2 if unplanned outages are kept at around 15,500MW.
However, the current system performance suggests a more optimistic outlook, potentially resulting in only five days of Stage 1 loadshedding if unplanned outages remain around 14,000MW.
