Johannesburg: Eskom Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, says eyes at the power utility are now firmly fixed on reaching a year without implementing load shedding – a target that is just slightly more than two months away. This as Eskom reached 300 days without implementing the scheduled rolling blackouts today.
According to South African Government News Agency, credit goes to all 40,000 dedicated and skilled Eskom employees, who are committed to serving South Africa. The focus is now on delivering one year without load shedding at midnight on 26 March 2025. These 300 days without load shedding have been marked by a reduction in unplanned outages, a notable improvement in the energy availability factor of approximately 7%, and savings in diesel expenditure of R16.42 billion, as stated by Nxumalo.
The State-owned entity’s Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, mentioned that the performance is putting the power utility on a path to profitability. Eskom’s performance has been on an upward trajectory since the implementation of the Energy Action Plan introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2022, along with the utility’s own Generation Recovery Plan.
Public sentiment is shifting, and business leaders, who once invested in self-generation, are now considering investing in Eskom for their power needs. The savings in diesel expenditure are being reinvested into the business to drive efficiencies and place Eskom on a path to profitability and long-term sustainability, Marokane added.
Eskom stated it will continue to focus on implementing plans to further improve performance. The utility expressed gratitude to all stakeholders, including the Minister of Electricity and Energy, the Eskom Board, government, and the National Energy Crisis Committee, for the collaborative effort in addressing the country’s electricity challenges.
The power utility emphasized its commitment to implementing generation recovery, strengthening governance, and tackling crime and corruption while future-proofing the organization to enable energy security, growth, and long-term sustainability for the benefit of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.