Eskom’s Improved Generation Capacity Sparks Minister’s Optimism

Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, has marked a notable stride in its energy generation, elevating its capacity from an average of 28,000MW to nearly 29,000MW over the recent week, as communicated by Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa earlier today.

Ramokgopa noted this encouraging enhancement in generation capacity, emphasising the trajectory towards normalising available capacity to surpass the 29,000MW threshold.

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The acknowledgement extended beyond the statistics, as Ramokgopa expressed gratitude towards Eskom’s leadership, commencing with the board led by Mpho Makwana, followed by acting Eskom CEO Calib Cassim, and the entity’s head of generation Bheki Nxumalo and his team.

From August 7 to 11, Eskom exhibited a generation capacity of 28,932MW, with two instances exceeding the 29,000MW milestone.

Ramokgopa’s address encompassed an update on the year-long implementation of the Energy Action Plan and a weekly outlook on generation progress. He delved into the intricacies of demand dynamics during the winter period, which led to escalated stages of load-shedding to balance the grid. He anticipates a gradual reduction in demand as the weather moderates.

In tandem with capacity improvement, Eskom is steadfastly working on ensuring the enduring viability of units through augmented planned outages aimed at enhancing their reliability.

The minister underscored that while the energy availability factor surpassed 60% due to reduced demand, it remains essential to intermittently withdraw units for maintenance, ensuring their sustained performance upon reintegration.

On the front of the unplanned capacity loss factor (UCLF), he revealed a decreasing trend. UCLF is a metric reflecting the ratio of energy unavailable from units undergoing unplanned outages over a period compared to all units’ total net installed capacity. The average UCLF was reduced to 15,000MW from the previous 18,000MW, with intentions to further lower it to below 14,000MW.

A persistent challenge emerged in the form of partial load losses—units generating the required megawatts but not up to the desired performance level, currently sitting at 6,226MW. Ramokgopa reassured the public that Eskom is resolutely addressing these issues without compromising its maintenance philosophy to ensure future performance reliability.

He acknowledged historical factors contributing to underperforming units, including a history of inadequate maintenance investment, emphasising transparency in conversations surrounding progress and setbacks.

The minister weighed the profound impact of load-shedding on the South African economy, lamenting its “untold” devastation, leading to job losses, business closures, and diminished investor confidence. The need for retailers to invest in generators for operational continuity and the struggle of small township businesses are significant concerns. Ramokgopa stressed Eskom’s ceaseless efforts to reverse this trend by enhancing underperforming power stations and tackling breakdown challenges.

He concluded on an optimistic note, affirming Eskom’s commitment to raising the energy availability factor and embracing a promising future trajectory.

Source: Electricity minister optimistic about the future as Eskom generation capacity improves

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Photo: Supplied by Citizen