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September 3, 2024Eskom has announced that it has successfully provided 156 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply, with load shedding remaining suspended since March 26, 2024. This marks a significant milestone for the power utility, which has also managed to reduce its diesel expenditure by R11.08 billion.
In a statement, Eskom highlighted its achievement of maintaining a constant electricity supply throughout the 122-day winter period. Notably, no load shedding has been implemented since the start of its current financial year on April 1, 2024.
Eskom’s outlook for the upcoming summer period, from September 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, is optimistic, with the utility predicting a load shedding-free summer due to structural improvements in generation capacity.
“Over the past seven days, Eskom maintained an average Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 67%, with stations like Kusile, Kendal, Matimba, Medupi, Matla, and the peaking stations achieving an EAF above 70%,” Eskom stated. Additionally, three power stations consistently achieved an EAF above 60%, reflecting sustained improvements.
These achievements are attributed to accelerated and well-executed planned maintenance, strong partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and the dedication of power station managers and their teams.
Eskom’s operational efficiency has exceeded winter expectations, with unplanned outages averaging between 9,800MW and 11,300MW over the past week. The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) continues to decline, standing at 25.6% for the financial year to date, down from 34.6% during the same period last year. This represents a 9% improvement.
Unplanned outages averaged 10,578MW during the past seven days, a significant decrease from the 15,921MW recorded in the same week last year. Eskom also reported that ongoing planned maintenance is at 5,983MW, consistent with its winter maintenance strategy and supported by short-term maintenance efforts to ensure continuous plant reliability.