South Africa is not in any immediate danger of a total energy system-wide blackout, according to Eskom Chief Operating Officer Jan Oberholzer.
Oberholzer addressed the media during a briefing held on Sunday, 22 January 2023.
South Africans have experienced more than 200 days of loadshedding in 2022 and while a new year is upon us, the darkness brought on by rolling blackouts have continued into 2023.
Citizens have been enduring severe power cuts at various levels, including Stage 6, which can often lead to no electricity for around ten hours daily.
“Although the stages of loadshedding have been high and for extended periods, this does not indicate that the power system is approaching a blackout. As long as we are in loadshedding to ensure the appropriate reserves are maintained, there is no risk of any higher loadshedding at this point,” stated Oberholzer.
Oberholzer explained that throughout the past week, the power utility has been battling severe challenges, which saw the continuation of Stage 6 loadshedding ultimately drop to lower stages.
“If we look at the week, we shut down and tripped 19 units which is about 9 300MW while we managed to return [to service] 22 units….which was 12 000MW. So we had a net gain capacity of about 2700 MW.
The 4500MW [of long term breakdowns] is really making it challenging for ourselves because that basically represents five stages of load shedding. But…all of this is managed on a project so there’s real dedication and promise,” he said.
To respond to the severe impact of load shedding on households, small businesses and the economy as a whole, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures in 2022 to improve the performance of existing power stations and add new generation capacity.
Through the Presidency, the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) on Saturday, 21 January, 2023, released a six-month update on progress in the implementation of the Energy Action Plan.
Among these are Eskom’s programme to buy power from companies with available generation capacity through a standard offer.
“The first contracts are expected to be signed in the coming weeks,” stated the Presidency in a statement.
Another intervention contained in the document will see government departments cutting red tape and streamlining regulatory processes for energy projects.
This will include "reducing the timeframe for environmental authorisations and registration, while negotiations are underway to secure a potential 1 000 MW from neighbouring countries starting this year," reads the document.
In addition, the Presidency has highlighted six power stations that have been identified for particular focus over the coming months, through a comprehensive "Generation Recovery Plan."
According to President Ramaphosa, “South Africans are right to demand immediate action to address the devastating impact of loadshedding on our lives and the economy. The Energy Action Plan provides a clear way out of this crisis. We do not need any new plans – we are focusing on implementing this plan fully and effectively to achieve energy security for all South Africans."
The Western Cape government is also aiming to reduce loadshedding within the province as much as possible throughout the year.
Despite assuring the public that a total blackout is unlikely, Oberholzer also warned that although lower stages of loadshedding are being implemented, the situation continues to remain unpredictable.
“While there has been some improvement in available generation capacity, allowing us to drop the stages of loadshedding, we’ve also seen an increase in demand for electricity as industry and businesses try to catch up on lost production.
“This, combined with the unpredictability and unreliability of the generation fleet, makes planning quite difficult and this may result in changes to loadshedding at short notice in the week to come,” Oberholzer said.
Eskom CEO, André de Ruyter, has issued an apology for the frustrating darkness South Africa finds itself in, and that although the power utility continues to face challenges, these are being addressed in collaboration with government.
“I would like…to offer my sincere apology for loadshedding and the huge and widespread disruption that this has caused to many parts of our economy but also to the daily lives of all our citizens," said de Ruyter, who went on to assure South Africans that Eskom is working hard alongside government to resolve the issue now and for the future.
