In a recent Eskom’s System Status Briefing by Jan Oberholzer who is the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the company, it was confirmed that the system is vulnerable and volatile.
“The power system is vulnerable and volatile with 21 days load shedding since September 2019 including Stage 6 on 09 December 2019 as unplanned breakdowns were above 12 500 MW”
Due to high multiple breakdowns, the planned maintenance was affected over that period and it was below the expected 5 500 MW.
“The result is that the system will be vulnerable for a period of approximately 18 months with an increased likelihood of load-shedding over this period”
Eskom wants to put an additional focus on correcting new build defects, by so doing, they will be extending the life of the power units – this will reduce unplanned outages as well as be able to manage coal quality and handle all other issues that may arise. Eskom wants you to use electricity wisely to avoid or reduce load-shedding.
“We regret that we are inconveniencing customers while we address system constraints” Eskom pointed out on the System Status Briefing on Friday.
Factors Contributing to an estimated 18 months of load-shedding
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- Increase load losses with plant outage slip at 2.5%
- Vacuum losses at Matimba PS have increased due to adverse weather.
- Major projects such as Cooling Towers refurbish and HP Heater replacements to be implemented to sustainably reduce these losses at most stations.
- Flooding due to excess rain was a major concern in December 2019 due to the impact on coal supply to the units.
- Flooding due to excess rain was a major concern in December 2019 due to the impact on coal supply to the units.
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Eskom concludes that it is committed to restoring the operational performance and philosophy maintenance and mid-life refurbishment will not be comprised to ensure “South Africa has a reliable and sustainable plant fleet going forward”
The Company will continue to keep you updated on load-shedding and still asks of you to use the electricity smartly.
“There will be heightened focus on sustained transmission and distribution network performance in order to manage other potential threats to the reliability of electricity supply”
