Cape Town — Despite marked improvements by Eskom which has led to three months of no load shedding, the power utility has warned that load shedding is still forecast for winter.
In its latest statement, Eskom said the latest period of stability has been down to dedicated efforts to enhance the reliability and perofrmance of the coal generation fleet, which has led to 93 consecutive days of no power interruptions.
It said the operational efficiency continues to exceed expectations and current unplanned are still averaging 12 000 MW, well below the winter forecast.
“We remain committed to effectively managing electricity demand during peak times. Our strategic use of peakign stations, including the Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) has been instrumental in meeting the heightened demand,” Eskom said.
It added that the winter forecast, published on 26 April 2024, anticipated a likely scenario of unplanned outages at 15 500MW and load shedding limited to Stage 2 – this remains in force.
Continued loadshedding suspension marks over three months of steady power supply – Winter Outlook still in force pic.twitter.com/7ukSZ8mD8b
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) June 28, 2024
Eskom also said its Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) has decreased to 27.1% between 1 April 2024 and 27 June 2024, compaured to 35% in the same period last year, while the Energy Availabilitty Factor has increased to 61.3% for 224, up from the 54.3% during the same period in 2023.
“With the arrival of colder weather and the consequent increase in electricity demand, Eskom is addressing the recurring challenge of network overloading in certain regions. This issue is largely attributed to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, unauthorised network organisations, theft of network equipment and the purchase of electricity from unlicensed vendors,” it said.
Accordign to The Citizen, Eskom board chairperson Mteto Nyati said the utility predicted a “good winter” ahead. He said the utility‘s earlier projections of stage 2 load shedding during winter was a worst-case scenario and would only happen if there were serious breakdowns.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
