Eskom under fire again

WORRY: EARLY RETURN OF LOAD SHEDDING A CONCERN

Blackouts not in line with assurances of an uninterrupted supply in new year.

National power utility Eskom has again come under scrutiny as it implements load shedding, contradicting earlier assurances of an uninterrupted power supply at the start of the new year.

Vally Padayachee, a power and electricity expert with a background in Eskom and Johannesburg’s City Power, said Eskom’s maintenance practices were the root cause of the issue, City Press reported yesterday.

He claimed the utility tended to overcommit to maintenance work, straining the limited teams available for these tasks.

Eskom defended the recent load shedding by saying units were not ready for operation as expected and the unexpected breakdown of several units.

The power utility reported that 8 451MW of generation capacity was offline for planned maintenance with an additional 16 231MW out of service due to breakdowns. Eskom’s total generation capacity stands at around 48 000MW.

Eskom conducted extra maintenance work in December, leveraging off the lower electricity demand. But the current reserve margin is described as “paper thin” making it difficult to perform maintenance without resorting to load shedding.

Concerns regarding the efficiency of Eskom’s maintenance practices are ongoing.

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is closely monitoring delays in completing maintenance work and Eskom has expressed concerns about units breaking down after repairs.

In October last year, Eskom’s system operator questioned the effectiveness of ongoing maintenance work, urging a review to improve efficiency.

Padayachee proposed a solution inspired by the aviation industry, suggesting the involvement of an independent team of experts to ensure the thoroughness and effectiveness of repairs.

Chris Yelland, managing director of EE Business Intelligence, acknowledged the challenging choices Eskom faced in balancing maintenance needs with the strain on the power system.

He highlighted the alarming loss of over 24 000MW of generation capacity the past week. He also noted a decline in Eskom’s generation fleet performance with an average availability of 54.7%, down from 58% in 2022, despite increased maintenance efforts.

Load shedding had raised concerns about its ability to manage essential maintenance work, while ensuring a stable power supply. –