The Recent Suspension of Load Shedding in South Africa…

The Generation Operational Recovery Plan which commenced on March 2023, continues to ensure a consistent energy supply and improved efficiencies, with loadshedding remaining suspended. As of September 20, Eskom has achieved 177 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply since 26 March 2024.

Key factors contributing to this include:

• A significant reduction in unplanned outages. This year, outages have dropped by around 9% compared to the same period last year.
• The reliability of electricity generation has seen consistent improvement.
• Cutting back on the use of expensive Open-Cycle Gas Turbines. This shift has reduced operational costs and dependence on diesel.
• Planned maintenance has been ramped up while maintaining a steady balance between power supply and demand. Previously maintenance was performed by companies with little knowledge of Eskom’s generation units. Breakdowns soon after maintenance was completed were common. Original equipment manufacturers now performing maintenance have extensive knowledge about the equipment used at Eskom’s power plants.

Overall, the above improvements, combined with careful management of demand during peak hours, have allowed Eskom to suspend load shedding whilst stabilizing the national grid. However, it should be mentioned that Eskom continues to face network overloading issues in certain local areas due to issues such as illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering and theft of network equipment.

Source: Eskom / BusinessTech