End to load shedding declared, but is it really?

ESKOM has fully stabilised the national electricity system, and South Africa is no longer in an energy crisis, with the grid performing at a level not seen in five years, supported by an additional 4 400MW (megawatts) of available generation capacity compared to the same period in the previous year, the Electricity Department said.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

This was after President Cyril Ramaphosa told the nation that ‘we have put load shedding behind us.

Tsakane Khambane, spokesperson for the Department of Electricity, said the power utility has delivered approximately 98% electricity supply reliability in the current financial year, which is a significant improvement from the below -10% reliability recorded two years ago.

She added that this turnaround reflects sustained improvements in plant performance, maintenance discipline, and operational efficiency.

Khambane highlighted that the performance of the generation fleet has improved significantly over the past two years, with Energy Availability Factor (EAF) continuing to rise, and currently at 65.11% year to date and 68.56% month to date.

“In recent months, there have been extended periods where available supply has exceeded demand, meaning some units were available but not required to run. These units are placed in what is referred to as ‘cold reserve. This reflects stronger system conditions. Importantly, these units remain available should demand increase or unexpected outages occur,” she explained.

She added that the current stability is nota temporary ‘sweet spot, but the result of sustained operational improvements and better maintenance discipline.

Khambane noted that although the national power system is stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, some communities, especially townships, continue to experience challenges stemming from illegal connections, meter tampering, and network overloading.

“These activities damage infrastructure and pose serious safety risks. As a protective measure, Eskom continues to implement load reduction only in high-risk areas to safeguard both communities and the electricity network. To address these challenges sustainably, Eskom has initiated a phased programme to eliminate load reduction by 2027,” Khambane said.