Question NW29 to the Minister of Energy and Electricity
31 July 2024 - NW29
Maotwe, Ms OMC to ask the Minister of Energy and Electricity
(1) Whether, in light of the fact that Eskom coal power stations have gone through intense maintenance in the past 18 months, load shedding has now completely been stopped; if not, should the Republic still expect load shedding in due course; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Since the beginning of this year, Eskom’s plant availability has been trending upwards, supported by decrease in unplanned losses. Generation has been able to maintain the unplanned losses below -14 000 MW throughout the winter period, while leveraging the improved performance to conduct additional short-term Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF).
The Generation fleet is showing more reliable performance going into the summer of 2024 commensurate to 2023. All indication suggest that this performance trajectory is sustainable. We continue to drive efforts to complement the coal fleet with new generation capacity in line with the IRP, including conversion of the Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) from Diesel to Gas and from open to close cycle operating systems.