Johannesburg: Eskom has reported a significant milestone in operational efficiency, achieving R13.7 billion in diesel savings due to the suspension of load shedding for over seven months. This continuous suspension, lasting 219 consecutive days since March 26, 2024, has been attributed to investments in the Generation Recovery Plan, which have stabilized South Africa’s power supply.
According to South African Government News Agency, Eskom has made strides towards its target of a 70% Energy Availability Factor (EAF) by the end of March 2025. This progress is marked by a reduction in unplanned outages, as the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) and Other Capacity Loss Factors (OCLF) have decreased to 7,299 MW, a milestone last achieved four years ago. The power utility recently celebrated delivering the longest uninterrupted power supply stretch in five years, reaching Day 206 of load shedding suspension on October 19, 2024.
The reduction in unplanned outages has resulted in increased generation capacity to
meet the country’s electricity demand and allowed for more planned maintenance activities, crucial for enhancing the reliability and stability of the generation fleet. Eskom’s EAF has risen to an average of 65% over the past week and 63.1% year-to-date, with several top-performing stations achieving over 70% EAF.
Eskom anticipates an additional 4,030 MW to return online by Monday evening, with six units on cold reserve over the weekend to manage supply and demand balance. In August, Eskom’s Summer Outlook for September 2024 to March 2025 predicted a load shedding-free summer due to structural generation improvements, a forecast that remains unchanged.
Despite the positive developments, Eskom faces network overloading challenges due to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, unauthorized operations, and theft of network equipment. These issues can lead to load reduction measures and extended unplanned power outages. Eskom urges customers to avoid illegal connections and purchase electricity only fro
m authorized vendors to prevent public safety hazards and maintain network integrity. The public is encouraged to report illegal activities to the Eskom Crime Line.
As the 24 November 2024 deadline approaches, Eskom reminds customers to update their pre-paid meters to avoid expiration and loss of electricity. The update process involves buying credit tokens from authorized vendors and entering two 20-digit codes into their meters.