Cape Town — Minister of Electricity, Kgotsientsho Ramokgopa, praised the work done by the government and Eskom to keep loadshedding away for more than 270 days.
Ramokgopa briefed the media on the Energy Action Plan (EAP) and its implementation and said the department has now seen an improvement of 8.1 percentage points in unplanned capacity loss factors (UCLF), EWN reported.
Ramokgopa said that this improvement allowed the department to absorb any failures from units.
“The degree to which these units are failing on their own, so the intention there is to bring down that number. Once you bring down that number, you have more megawatts on the grid. We have seen an improvement of about 8.1 percentage points, sitting at 21.9 UCLF,” the minister said.
He said the milestone of 272 days is an incredible achievement.
“This is a testament to what’s possible when systems work effectively. But this isn’t just a statistic; it’s a glimpse into a brighter, more stable future for our economy and communities,” he said.
South Africa has achieved an incredible milestone 272 days of uninterrupted power. This is a testament to what’s possible when systems work effectively. But this isn’t just a statistic; it’s a glimpse into a brighter, more stable future for our economy and communities.
Watch… pic.twitter.com/tbM1mS6ATi
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) December 23, 2024
According to Newzroom Afrika, Ramokgopa said that, despite loadshedding being away for 272, there remains a threat of rolling blackouts.
He explained that the aggregate supply (greater demand than available) has now been resolved and explains why loadshedding is now over.
He said the new challenge has now arisen. He explained that electricity available closer to homes are meant to serve a number of houses in an area, however certain areas have bigger houses that require more electricity usage per household.
Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa tells Newzroom Afrika’s @NtoksKhumalo that despite 272 consecutive days without load shedding, rolling blackouts remain a significant threat. #Newzroom405
Watch: https://t.co/t0BsXXne2C pic.twitter.com/6bZWH7Ghyw
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) December 23, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
