Eskom has reached a significant milestone, marking 240 consecutive days without load shedding. This achievement represents the longest unbroken period of power stability in five years, driven by improvements in Eskom’s operations and a reduction in unplanned power outages.
This success has led to significant financial savings, with Eskom reporting a R16.33 billion reduction in diesel expenses. The utility attributes this to better outage management and increased generation capacity.
Eskom also reported a substantial improvement in unplanned outages. Last week, outages dropped to 10,478MW, down from 16,367MW during the same period last year. This 5,890MW reduction has allowed Eskom to focus more on planned maintenance and better meet the nation’s electricity needs.
The Energy Availability Factor (EAF), which measures the overall health of Eskom’s plants, remained stable at 64.5% during this period and is at 63.1% so far this year. This stability signals positive progress for the utility’s recovery efforts.
Looking ahead, Eskom’s Summer Outlook for 2024–2025 predicts a load-shedding-free summer, thanks to ongoing structural improvements in generation capacity. However, Eskom warned of ongoing challenges, such as illegal connections and network overloading, which threaten power stability in some areas.
Eskom urged communities to report illegal activities and avoid unlawful connections, which could lead to safety risks and network overloading. The utility emphasized the importance of purchasing electricity only from licensed vendors to maintain system integrity and avoid disruptions.
