By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
State owned power utility Eskom will be escalating to higher stages of load shedding due to the failure of seven generating units over the last 24 hours, the power utility has said.
Stage 6 load shedding will be implemented from 16h00 this afternoon until 05h00 on Tuesday. Thereafter, Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 05h00 until 16h00 on Tuesday.
Stage 6 load shedding will continue overnight on Tuesday until 05h00 on Wednesday, after which stage 3 load shedding will be implemented.
While Eskom had intended to keep load shedding at stage 3 and stage 4, system pressure has made this impossible. The group warned that the planned load shedding stages might again change at short notice.
“Eskom will publish a further update as soon as any significant changes occur,” it said.
Breakdowns are currently at 17,955MW of generating capacity while the generating capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 5,042MW.
Over the past 24 hours, a generation unit each at Camden, Matla and Tutuka power stations were returned to service.
In the same period, a generating unit each at Duvha, Grootvlei, Kendal, Majuba, Medupi and two generating units at Kriel power stations were taken offline for repairs.
“The team is working around the clock to ensure that generating units are returned to service as soon as possible,” it said.
Eskom chairperson Mpho Makwana says the power utility is working around the clock to improve plant performance and reduce load shedding.
This as Eskom’s Generation Turnaround Programme seeks to achieve 65% energy availability factor (EAF) by 31 March 2024 and 70% by 31 March 2025.
Addressing the Demand Side Management Indaba in Johannesburg on Monday, he said the recent appointment of the energy executive Bheki Nxumalo as Head of Generation will bring stability at the power utility.
“When we rectified the appointment of the head of generation it was in the context of seeing him as the champion that will ensure that we achieve the requisite EAF and by extension achieving the EAF assures us of edging closer to stability in terms ameliorating load shedding,” Makwana said.
Nxumalo boasts some 20 years of experience in the energy sector at all levels and was working within the ranks of Eskom as Chief Executive Officer for Eskom Enterprise and Eskom Rotek Industries.
He has also worked as power station manager at two Eskom power stations and general manager at Kusile Power Station.
Makwana said Eskom is at an advanced state in the short listing process for the next new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
“We now have a shortlist of five candidates,” he said.
Former Eskom CEO, André de Ruyter, resigned from the power utility in December. De Ruyter had been at the helm of the ailing electricity supplier since December 2019.
“We need to have a conversation about implementing smart metering in our country. If we were to implement smart metering it would contribute substantially to the grid’s performance. As the board, we are looking at the best practice in the world, we look at the broader energy outlook to get a greater sense of thinking around solving the load shedding problems,” Makwana said.
In July last year President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the Energy Action Plan (EAP) aimed at easing and then ending load shedding.
The plan was developed through extensive consultation and endorsed by energy experts as providing the best and fastest path towards energy security.
Intensive work is underway to implement the plan, which aims to, firstly, improve the performance of Eskom power stations, and, secondly, to bring new generating capacity onto the system as quickly as possible.