No load shedding for 11 days and counting, says Eskom

Eskom has not implemented load shedding since 22 February and does not expect to do so on Thursday, the power utility said in a statement on Tuesday. 

However, it is relying on emergency reserves, which means the generation system is constrained at load shedding could be implemented at short notice. Load shedding can only be ruled out if unplanned outages fall to below 9 500MW, and on Thursday afternoon, unplanned breakdowns were at 11 585 MW at 16:15.

Planned outages for maintenance stood at 4 717MW.

"We remind South Africans that there is a possibility of increased load shedding as we are conducting critical maintenance to restore the ageing plant to good health," Eskom said.

Using emergency generation means Eskom is using open cycle gas turbines and pumped-storage hydroelectric plants. These are very expensive, particularly the gas turbines, which require large quantities of diesel. They can only be used for short periods before diesel and water reserves start running out.

Between 2009 and 2019, debt-laden Eskom paid 48 suppliers R47.4 billion for diesel, News24 previously reported. Towards the end of 2019, then-chair and acting CEO Jabu Mabuza said the power utility had spent R6bn on diesel in the year to March.