Eskom’s power supply last week reached levels last seen in July 2018, forcing the utility to place some units on cold reserve to maintain grid stability. This marked a significant achievement, as Eskom surpassed 124 days without load shedding, with most of these occurring during the high-demand winter period.
During a media briefing on July 29, Eskom’s group executive for generation, Bheki Nxumalo, explained that the improved performance of coal and nuclear power stations resulted in a surplus of electricity.
“Some units had to be placed on cold reserve, meaning they are not running because they are not needed, but are still available if necessary,” Nxumalo said. This measure, similar to load shedding, is employed to protect the grid when supply exceeds demand.
Minister of electricity and energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, said: “It simply means we are generating so much, more than what we need, and to protect the grid you pull back generation from some of those units.”
Last week, Eskom reported placing up to 2,000 MW on cold reserve, with plans to return this capacity to service on July 29.
Despite these improvements, Ramokgopa cautioned against declaring a load shedding-free winter, noting that “we’re not out of the woods yet”. The minister emphasised that while the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) exceeded 70% in the past week, the year-to-date EAF stands at 62%, up from 55% over the same period last year.
On July 23, Eskom’s power supply reached 35,000 MW, a level last seen on 2018, July 16, with demand approximately 5,000 MW lower at 30,740 MW. This was attributed to a reduction in unplanned breakdowns, which decreased to around 9,800 MW in the past week, compared to 16,400 MW during the same week last year.
“We are 4,000 MW better than even the most optimistic case,” Ramokgopa noted, referencing Eskom’s winter outlook modelling, which predicted unplanned losses of 14,000 MW in an optimistic scenario.
The minister expressed optimism that this trend would continue, with unplanned breakdowns expected to remain between 9,800 MW and 12,400 MW.
Eskom’s improved performance also resulted in reduced diesel consumption, potentially lowering future electricity tariffs. From 2024, April 1 to July 25, Eskom’s diesel spend was R3.37 billion, significantly lower than the R12.46 billion spent during the same period last year.
IOL