Eskom Still Far From Maintaining a Steady Power Supply: Energy Analyst

• An independent economic and energy analyst said the stable power supply over the past month (March/April 2024) is due to an exodus of electricity users from the Eskom grid
• Tshepo Kgadima said despite the eased pressure on the grid, the power utility has a long way to go before maintaining a steady electricity supply
• Netizens are suspicious of the stable power supply and anticipate higher levels of loadshedding after the General Election 2024

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered energy stories and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

The break from the catastrophic rolling blackouts is not due to the effective implementation of the energy action plan.

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Power migration at the centre of stable electricity supply

Independent economic and energy analyst Tshepo Kgadima, however, attributed the stable power supply to the over 8,000MW of electricity demand that has migrated off the Eskom grid.

Kgadima spoke to Briefly News on 22 April 2024 after the country experienced about four weeks of uninterrupted power supply.

According to eNCA, the past month of no scheduled blackouts is the longest period Eskom has kept the lights on since 2022.

Kgadima said that with electricity tariffs skyrocketing to R4.54 per kilowatt hour, he anticipated more electricity users to find alternative off-grid solutions, some of which cost under R2.00 per kilowatt hour.

However, he emphasised that Eskom is still far from achieving its goal of maintaining an energy supply for South Africans.

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“It is important to note that Eskom continues to struggle to maintain energy availability factor above 55% and is quite a long way from achieving the optimal energy availability factor of 75% in order to bring loadshedding to an end once and for all.”

Citizens anticipate higher loadshedding levels soon

Many netizens were sceptical about the lack of loadshedding over the past few weeks, with some believing citizens would pay for the stability with increased power outages after the General Election.

@DecideDied said:

“Stage 16 is coming in hot after elections, It's definitely not over.”

@Mlu_taj added:

“It’s gonna hit the fan soon, we all know it.”

@MOBMakena thought:

“If only one had business supplying diesel to Eskom right now. What a killing I would make.”

@OfentseK88 commented:

“It will be dark after the 29th of May. Loadshedding is a sabotage.”

@Sbo19DarkBeauty concluded:

“The calm before the storm”

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Almost 100,000 Tshwane residents affected by power outage

Briefly News reported that some Tshwane residents were plunged into darkness after their electricity went down.

Reports say the unplanned power outage affected almost 100,000 customers in areas including Mathibestad, Eersterus, Majaneng, Temba, Rens and Hammanskraal West.

Source: Briefly News