Latest news with #GenerationRecoveryPlan
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Eskom adapts to winter demand spikes with strategic generation recovery plan
Eskom's Generation Recovery Plan is underway, aiming to restore a total of 2 450MW of generation capacity before the evening peak on Monday, 30 June 2025, in a proactive move to enhance grid reliability. Image: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Independent Newspapers Eskom announced on Friday that its power system has demonstrated stability, effectively managing increased electricity demand as South Africa experiences a cold snap. The utility reported that while occasional system constraints arise, strategic deployment of sufficient emergency reserves helps meet peak demands during critical morning and evening hours. Eskom's Generation Recovery Plan is underway, aiming to restore a total of 2 450MW of generation capacity before the evening peak on Monday, 30 June 2025, in a proactive move to enhance grid reliability. From the week of 20 to 26 June, Eskom said planned maintenance efforts have averaged 3 789MW, marking a decline in planned outages. Concurrently, the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) fluctuated between 60% and 64%, ultimately resulting in a month-to-date average of 60.61%. However, Eskom faces challenges as the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF) stands at 29.36% for the current financial year, reflecting a worrying increase from last year's 27.25%. The uptick in unplanned outages can be partly attributed to delays in returning units from maintenance, specifically the 800MW from Medupi Unit 4, which has not yet been brought back online. At present, unplanned outages total 15 137MW, with the 800MW from Medupi impacting the available generation capacity of 30 703MW. This figure notably excludes the 720MW from Kusile Unit 6, which, although not yet fully operational, has been supplying power to the national grid since 23 March 2025. Nevertheless, this combined generation capacity positioned Eskom well to meet Friday night's anticipated peak demand of 28 810MW. Recent statistics revealed a decline in the year-to-date load factor for open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), which now stands at 11.37%, reflecting a slight dip from the previous week. Despite this reduction, the load factor remained strong when compared to 6.21% during the same timeframe last year. Diesel usage is projected to decrease as more units return to service from long-term repairs, thereby bolstering generation capacity. Eskom said the Winter Outlook, released on 5 May 2025, continues to stand valid, indicating that load shedding might be averted if unplanned outages remain below 13 000MW. It said should outages rise to 15 000MW, any necessitated load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days over 153 days, confined to Stage 2. Key performance indicators revealed that during the week of 20 to 26 June, unplanned outages averaged 14 696MW—an increase of 2 815MW from last year and above the base case estimate of 13 000MW by 1 696MW. This escalation largely stems from the ongoing situation with Medupi Unit 4, which was initially anticipated to return to service by 30 May 2025. Meanwhile, planned maintenance for the financial year-to-date has averaged at 5 481MW, accounting for 11.67% of total generation capacity, albeit representing a slight decrease from the previous week. Year-to-date, the EAF has observed a noticeable upward trend, reaching 58.47%. However, this remains below the 61.19% recorded during the same period last year, primarily due to an increase in unplanned maintenance of 2.1%. Furthermore, Eskom's financial commitment to fuel for the OCGT fleet has risen to approximately R4.76 billion, generating 810.24GWh, in contrast to 442.65GWh from the previous year; still within the budget for the current financial year. As the utility now faces the winter months, Eskom has issued a strong reminder urging the public to refrain from illegal connections and energy theft. Such practices lead to transformer overloads and significant equipment failures, jeopardising the stability of the electricity network. Citizens are encouraged to solely purchase electricity from Eskom-accredited vendors and report any illegal activities impacting Eskom's infrastructure to the Crime Line. In the spirit of energy efficiency, Eskom urged consumers to manage their electricity consumption wisely this winter, employing tools like the Eskom Residential Calculator to track and optimise usage effectively. Eskom plans to provide another update on the situation by Friday, 4 July 2025, or earlier should any significant changes arise. BUSINESS REPORT
Daily Maverick
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Cabinet clout – the GNU's best and worst performers, one year in
As the Government of National Unity marks one year in power, Daily Maverick staffers give their take on who's dithered and who's delivered in Cabinet. TOP OF THE CLASS Leon Schreiber Less than one year at the helm of one of South Africa's most dysfunctional departments, crippled by years of corruption and capacity constraints, is a short time to make an assessment of the Minister of Digitisation… Oh, wait, sorry, Home Affairs. But with the GNU reaching its first anniversary, it's time to rank Schreiber on the work he has done to transform 'Hell Affairs'. When he delivered his inaugural budget speech, he promised to digitise Home Affairs, tackle network issues (how many times have you heard 'the system is offline') and crack down on corruption. Schreiber has launched Home Affairs @ Home, a comprehensive five-year strategy to transform Home Affairs into a fully digital department and earlier this year, the DHA upgraded its once-problematic and inefficient digital verification system, pushing SA closer to a complete roll-out of the Smart ID. In February, the DHA announced that it had successfully cleared the visa and permit backlog that dated back a decade. While his predecessor, Aaron Motsoaledi, initiated great backlog clearing, Schreiber made quick work of completing it. Since July 2024, Home Affairs has fired 33 officials for fraud, corruption and related offences as part of a bid to rid the DHA of rot. Schreiber has emphasised that this campaign will continue until all corrupt officials are removed and held accountable, with a clear warning that further dismissals and prosecutions are expected as investigations progress. – Lerato Mutsila Kgosientsho Ramokgopa A year into the GNU, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stands out as the minister under whose watch South Africa has grown accustomed to a near-reliable electricity supply after more than a decade of load shedding. He didn't do it alone, but the steady retreat of load shedding is largely thanks to Ramokgopa's diligent efforts. With his watchful oversight of Eskom's Generation Recovery Plan, the utility has mostly fixed generation issues. His insistence on transparency, public accountability and clear communication (as evidenced in his frequent briefings) has helped soften public anger, rebuild trust and demystify the complexities of the energy sector. He's also been sapient and humble in acknowledging the tainted history of nuclear procurement and public scepticism toward large-scale procurement. In August 2024, he paused plans for new nuclear capacity, citing the need for transparency and legal certainty. But Ramokgopa has not only managed the crises of the present, he has laid out a compelling vision of a low-carbon energy future and has repeatedly advocated an ' ultra-aggressive ' rollout of renewables, calling it financially sound and environmentally necessary. 'Let's show the country and the rest of the world that we can do it,' he said in July 2024. 'We are going to be the leaders on this continent in relation to renewable energy.' – Ethan van Diemen Cyril Ramaphosa President Cyril Ramaphosa has often been lauded for his negotiation skills, but they were put to the test when he met US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last month. He was ambushed by Trump, but he didn't take the bait. As a result, Trump was shown up for the bully he is. Ramaphosa has championed a forward-thinking G20 agenda for South Africa. He is a progressive leader in a world of strongmen. His Operation Vulindlela, the economic reform programme of the Presidency and National Treasury launched in October 2020, has made strides, particularly in energy. The energy reforms in the first phase of the programme have unlocked 22,500MW of independent power (mostly renewable). But, in some instances, Ramaphosa has shown a modicum of leadership. Among his biggest weaknesses is his slow pace of action in certain situations. Decisions are delayed to death. He's failed to act decisively on removing former Justice Minister Thembi Simelane from Cabinet, reshuffling her to Human Settlements in December 2024. His continued inaction on longstanding issues such as gender-based violence is a blind spot too big to ignore. Ramaphosa is not always the leader to crack the whip – particularly when it comes to members of his own party – but he may just be the one to keep the GNU from cracking completely. – Victoria O'Regan Ronald Lamola International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola was regarded as one of Daily Maverick's top performers, but this assessment of him is almost solely based on his work on SA's genocide case against Israel. SA's decision in December 2023 to take Israel to the World Court to argue that it violates its obligation as a signatory to the Genocide Convention has been a direct action welcomed by global human rights groups. Lamola (then justice minister) led a top legal team of nine and a delegation to The Hague in January 2024, where he defended SA's application in his opening statement and won many plaudits, saying it was an act of ubuntu with Palestine. He is principled and pragmatic, and his age (41) is a positive and makes him one of the youngest leaders in the GNU. But, in some instances – for example, dealing with the Trump administration in the Oval Office – he has appeared out of his depth. Lamola has provided basic continuity in SA's foreign policy, which is identical to that of the former ANC government. This has been a sticking point for other parties in the GNU, which have called out the ANC for ' monopolising ' SA's foreign policy. – Victoria O'Regan Siviwe Gwarube At just 35, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has emerged as a dynamic force who has brought much-needed optimism into a beleaguered system. Gwarube has made early childhood development a priority, with a sharp focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, recognising that strong beginnings lead to long-term success. She also advocates for curriculum modernisation, emphasising digital literacy and expanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to equip learners with critical thinking, adaptability and creativity for a technology-driven global economy. Despite her party's (DA) opposition to certain clauses, Gwarube has committed to implementing the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act – albeit advocating for staggered implementation and the development of regulations to address concerns. However, the challenges Gwarube faces are Herculean as she inherited a sector riddled with deep-rooted inequality, failing infrastructure, teacher shortages and the weight of austerity. Her strategy of teaming up with the private sector has drawn fire: McDonald's-branded desks raised eyebrows over junk food marketing, and the Safe Schools app, built with Vodacom, has struggled in rural areas where basics such as electricity and connectivity are still luxuries. She also missed her self-imposed deadline to eliminate pit toilets by March 2025, a failure with life-or-death consequences. SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPELLED Paul Mashatile It is genuinely hard to find a redeeming aspect to Mashatile's performance over the past year. In fairness, the role of deputy president is famously meaningless, which is what allowed Cyril Ramaphosa to skate out of the State Capture years virtually unscathed. But even taking into account the very low bar for this role, it's difficult to see how Mashatile has been a value-add. The two most noteworthy things that have involved Mashatile during this period have both been negative. First, there was the ' assassination attempt ' on the DP in April, during which his car was allegedly shot at – an incident shrouded in mystery because it appears that almost nobody in the ANC believes it actually happened, with the conspiracy theory there being that Mashatile was hoping for a Donald Trump-style post-assassination popularity surge. If so, it didn't work; one of the only groups to express real concern was the EFF leadership, which is so strange in itself that it greatly fortified theories that a Mashatile presidency would see the EFF elevated to hitherto unrealised heights of political power. The second was the revelation from an Action SA Parliamentary question that Mashatile and his wife had somehow managed to spend more than R900,000 on accommodation for a three-night stay in Japan in March. Mashatile is not beating corruption allegations any time soon. Within the GNU, meanwhile, his role has seemed to be largely shit-stirring: he has made menacing noises towards the DA on a number of occasions, but it appears his bark doesn't come with much bite. – Rebecca Davis Thembi Simelane Thembi Simelane should not be in Cabinet. Her tenure as Justice Minister was rendered untenable by Daily Maverick and News24's reporting on corruption allegations against her, and she was shuffled to Human Settlements by President Cyril Ramaphosa in December 2024 instead of being suspended, as she should have been. Since then, Simelane's personal woes have clearly been distracting her. There have been further corruption allegations from the past involving an Eskom contractor; the DA laid criminal charges against her; and her romantic partner was arrested for his own corruption charges. She inherited a dysfunctional Human Settlements department from her predecessor Mmamoloko Kubayi, whose approach can best be summed up as 'see no evil, hear no evil'. DA MP Luyolo Mphithi has tried, mostly in vain, to draw attention to what he has termed a 'catastrophic collapse of governance across several housing entities' falling under Simelane's control – among them the National Housing Finance Corporation, as revealed by Daily Maverick. Simelane has shown almost zero appetite to investigate what is going on under her own roof. There is no plausible justification for her presence in the executive. – Rebecca Davis Angie Motshekga Evaluating Minister Angie Motshekga's time as the head of our Department of Defence is difficult. Not because there's nothing to analyse, but more that it's a smorgasbord of ineptitude. The only thing we can be thankful for is that she's only mismanaging our sovereign defence capability, rather than the minds of our young learners. Motshekga has not only failed to reverse the inexorable decline of a defence force in dire need of a strong leader, she has failed to demonstrate how the defence force can, if managed properly, be a major force for public good. I wrote in July last year that the first and most important thing she could do was to start a major defence review. Instead, the minister has fêted military suitors from the world over, overseen the induction of air force cadets, who have very little in the way of serviceable airframes to fly, and generally dithered about. But by a country mile, the most egregious lapse in basic leadership has been her colossal bungling of our SAMIDRC retreat at the hands of Rwandan-backed rebels. Not only has Motshekga outright lied in parliamentary committees about their role, the fact that our troops languished under M23 lock and key for months without any useful communication from the DOD is inexcusable. Correction – the DOD was quick to note which golf days had or had not been cancelled. – John Stupart Gayton McKenzie One of the most recent ministers of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, was accused of being too reactive in the role. To the point where he earned the nickname ' minister of condolences and congratulations '. Current Minister Gayton McKenzie is the opposite, to his detriment at times. On a few occasions, McKenzie has been found placing the cart before the horse – something he has been criticised for even by his department's oversight committee. Other critics of McKenzie have highlighted his blatant xenophobia. It is a tool he has used to his political advantage as leader of the Patriotic Alliance, but he has struggled to eradicate it when wearing his ministerial hat, despite heading a department that is a conduit for national unity. A perfect example of McKenzie's overzealousness is the situation around the video assistant referee (VAR). The minister is a staunch supporter of the technology, which he believes will improve the quality of officiating in South African soccer. It will cost millions of rands to roll out and maintain. But McKenzie's department will help the financially strapped South African Football Association acquire the technology and train its officials to operate VAR. A master of populist politics, McKenzie knows that soccer is the most popular sport in South Africa. The implementation of VAR will earn him countless plaudits from the masses. – Yanga Sibembe Gwede Mantashe Gwede Mantashe's crowning achievement for 2025 should be the online mining cadastre, which is supposed to go live in June and then be rolled out to other provinces after this 'test drive'. After years of needless delays under Mantashe's watch, the mining sector is waiting with bated breath to see how this rolls. The lack of a functioning cadastre – an online portal that displays a country's mineral wealth while allowing companies to apply for mining and prospecting rights – has long been seen as a deterrent to mining investment, leading to massive application backlogs. While the mining sector has cautiously welcomed this development, it has been jolted by the Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRDP), which seeks to further entrench onerous BEE provisions. In June, Mantashe did a U-turn and removed the BEE requirements in the draft for exploration companies, which have always been excluded on this front – a sign that he is not completely tone deaf to industry concerns. He also has his brand new South African National Petroleum Company – the department has been renamed the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources– but given the ANC's track record on SOEs, few expect it to be solvent for long. – Ed Stoddard DM
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eskom optimistic about winter 2025 amidst operational setbacks
According to Eskom CEO Dan Marokane, the winter preparations were a testament to the hard-earned victories achieved over the past year. Image: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Independent Newspapers Banele Ginidza Eskom is entering the winter of 2025 with a renewed sense of optimism, reporting significant improvements in its performance metrics while acknowledging ongoing operational challenges. In the latest winter outlook from 1 April to 31 August 2025, the power utility on Monday outlined a comprehensive plan aimed at ensuring a more stable electricity supply during the colder months. According to Eskom CEO Dan Marokane, the winter preparations were a testament to the hard-earned victories achieved over the past year. 'Against this progress, we have seen some setbacks in operational excellence, as evidenced by the recent loadshedding requirements between January to April 2025,' Marokane said. 'A targeted plan has been put in place to reinforce operational discipline and accelerate recovery initiatives to address the root causes related to the recent load shedding events. We are maintaining our focus on the Generation Recovery Plan and Demand Management initiatives to minimise load shedding requirements over the Winter 2025 period.' Eskom said its winter 2025 unplanned breakdown assumptions have been revised downwards by 1 000MW–2 000MW against the winter 2024 assumptions. In the scenario that breakdowns remain below 13 000MW, Eskom anticipated spending a further R700 million on diesel to run its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) until 31 August 2025. This improved winter outlook was due to a 3 100MW decline in unplanned outages compared to the previous year. As a result, the forecast range has been lowered to 13 000MW – 15 000MW, down from 14 000MW - 17 000W in Winter 2024. Last winter had no load shedding, with average unplanned outages at 12 300MW — significantly below the winter 2024 base-case projection of 14 000MW. 'This is due to improved plant reliability. This results in maximum Stage 2 load shedding expected,' Eskom said. Eskom's head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo, said the utility was better prepared with more than 2 580MW still to come through in the winter months while it maintained focus the Generation Recovery Plan and Demand Management initiatives to minimise load shedding requirements over the Winter 2025 period. Adding to this overall positive climate, Eskom has bolstered its operational readiness with the anticipation of a further 2 580MW of power capacity. Key contributors to this figure include the return of Medupi Unit 4, which will deliver 800MW by the end of May after undergoing extensive repairs, alongside the commissioning of Kusile Unit 5, anticipated to add another 800MW in late June. The return of Koeberg Unit 1 in August is also set to provide a crucial 980MW boost, strengthening the baseload power supply during the winter months. "In the event the need arises, our approach is to minimise the impact of load shedding on the economy through implementing load shedding over weekends or outside business hours where possible," he said. Nxumalo said the downward trend observed in unplanned losses is driven mainly by five of the eight priority power stations identified two years ago in the Generation Recovery Plan (Tutuka, Mendal, Majuba, Duvha and Kusile). The unplanned losses experienced between January and March 2025 were the result of a combination of events, clustering of boiler tube leaks, several breakdown incidents including trips and partial load losses, higher than normal rainfall and delayed from planned outages. The 18 000MW of unplanned losses in 2023 versus the 12 900MW in April 2025 though shows an improvement illustrating to Eskom that reduction of load shedding is off the back of improved plant performance.
Daily Maverick
25-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Eskom announces Stage 2 load shedding, citing ‘higher-than-expected' demand
Stage 2 load shedding kicks in until Friday morning due to 'higher demand, extensive maintenance and loss of generation units'. Eskom announced that it would implement Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm on Thursday, 24 April, until at least 5am on Friday. The utility said 'higher-than-expected' electricity demand, 'extensive' planned maintenance and 'the loss of generation units' were the proximal causes for this most recent bout of rotational power cuts. Daily Maverick has previously reported that Eskom last implemented Stage 2 load shedding on Wednesday night, 19 March. In February, Eskom CEO Dan Marokane told Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts that the utility would need to meet its targeted goal for reliability and additional generation capacity before declaring that load shedding was permanently over. He was echoing the sentiments of Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who has stressed that Eskom's fleet is undergoing a period of deep, sustained maintenance, which will have the effect of reducing the available capacity at any one time, but will be in the utility's long-term interest. Should there be an unplanned loss of generation capacity or 'higher-than-expected' electricity demand, as was the case on Thursday, Eskom would be forced to implement load shedding to protect the national grid, he said. Marokane said in that meeting that when the utility finished this 'cycle of deep maintenance', Eskom would get back to 'a comfort level that helped us manage the long period of no load shedding'. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena told Daily Maverick on Thursday that the recent inclement and rainy weather in parts of the country was likely to have played an important role in increased electricity demand. She would not be drawn on details on which power stations were affected by the loss of generation units, citing recent security protocols. Earlier on Thursday, Eskom attempted to pre-empt the possibility of load shedding, saying, 'With tonight's peak demand (5pm-9pm) approaching, the electricity grid is under strain. We urge everyone to act now by reducing energy use. Please switch off all non-essential appliances; every small action makes a big difference.' Eskom has doubled down on this message, urging people to reduce their electricity consumption to 'help reduce pressure on the grid'. Democratic Alliance spokesperson on energy and electricity Kevin Mileham told Daily Maverick on Thursday, 'The return of load shedding highlights the significant constraints on our electricity systems. It also demonstrates that the energy availability factor (EAF) of Eskom's fleet is still falling far short of the targets they set for themselves.' As part of Eskom's generation recovery plan initiated in April 2023, the power utility set a target of 70% EAF. It now hovers at around 55%, a return to a near-identical low seen when the plan was first implemented. 'We need much greater emphasis on the Generation Recovery Plan,' said Mileham, 'as well as much speedier procurement of new generation capacity. Given that Eskom is severely limited financially, that means it would have to come from Independent Power Producers.' DM
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eskom integrates Kusile's final unit, aiming for 2.5GW by 2025
Eskom has added the final 800MW unit of Kusile power station, Unit 6, to South Africa's national grid. The development represents a milestone in Eskom's strategy to add 2.5GW of new capacity by March 2025. Up to September 2025, Unit 6 will undergo testing and optimisation before being officially added to Eskom's generation fleet. Kusile's sister project, Medupi, is set to return 800MW from Unit 4 by April 2025 after an extended outage due to a generator stator failure. Once Kusile Unit 6 reaches commercial operation, both newbuild power station projects will be in commercial operation. Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane stated: 'Kusile Unit 6's addition is proof that we are making continued progress in stabilising and strengthening South Africa's electricity supply. Meeting the targets we set in the Generation Recovery Plan and our strategic roadmap underscores our determination to deliver new capacity, enhance generation performance, support economic growth and ultimately deliver a more sustainable energy future. 'We re-iterate our commitment to ensuring that South Africa is in no way returning to the levels of load-shedding that we experienced in 2023. Our focus remains on delivering a more reliable, resilient and sustainable power system for the country.' The Kusile power station will contribute 4.8GW when all units are in operation, making it South Africa's largest infrastructure project. The power plant is also the first in the country to implement wet flue gas desulphurisation technology to meet air quality standards. Eskom Group executive for generation Bheki Nxumalo stated: 'Eskom is at a critical point returning megawatts to the grid as we are currently in a constrained state. This milestone is a testament to the unwavering dedication and resilience of Eskom's employees and contractors. Their commitment has driven us forward despite numerous challenges. 'As we celebrate this progress, our focus is now on ensuring that Unit 6 achieves commercial operation in the second half of 2025, further strengthening South Africa's energy security.' Eskom remains committed to its Generation Operational Recovery Plan, focusing on governance and sustainability to ensure energy security for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. In January 2025, Eskom connected the 930MW Unit 2 of the Koeberg nuclear power station to the national grid, advancing the plan. This connection follows a long-term operation programme to extend the unit's life by 20 years, following similar upgrades to Unit 1. "Eskom integrates Kusile's final unit, aiming for 2.5GW by 2025" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
