WATCH: Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan yielding continuous light

State-owned entity Eskom has significantly improved its generation capacity and turned around its performance which has been welcomed by South Africans.

With over 132 days of no load shedding, Eskom continues to keep the lights on, generating so much power it had to place some units in cold reserve.

Watch Bheki Nxumalo speaking about Eskom’s recovery

Great progress

This is in stark contrast to last year when the country experienced severe bouts of rolling blackouts, reaching stage 6 at times.

Eskom’s head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo, told Newzroom Afrika, the country has made significant progress from the dark times of last year.

“It really is quite pleasing as you recall last year this time we were going through very, very difficult times for the whole country. So, it’s quite encouraging the current result that we have achieved where we are actually now in a position to really operate in normal forms.”

ALSO READ: Reduced load shedding leads to decline in solar installations

Summer and winter

Nxumalo revealed that Eskom’s fleet is performing so well that it is creating problems for the system operator responsible for maintaining the stability of the country’s electricity grid.

“With the improvement we’ve been seeing over this past period, we are now really starting to see from across the fleet the performance from one [power] station to the other to a level now where almost all stations are really performing to the right level and steadily improving every week and every month.

“As we ‘ve indicated last week we were consistently and even this week above 70% which is quite encouraging as well going through the winter month. We are left with one month in winter, so we are already putting plans to see how we are going to look at the Summer months as well,” Nxumalo said.

Eskom commended

Meanwhile, energy expert Chris Yelland has also been encouraged by Eskom’s turnaround sharing a post in X.

“A further stunning reduction in unplanned breakdowns (UCLF) within Eskom’s fleet of coal-fired power stations, and the corresponding increase in energy availability factor (EAF) for Week 30, ending Sun 28 July 2024, which for the first time in 3.5 years exceeded 70%.

“I never really expected to see this day, and take my hat off to Eskom head of generation Bheki Khumalo and team in appreciation and respect,” Yelland said.

Last week, Eskom said there has also been a R9.37 billion reduction in diesel expenditure to power its Open-Cycle Gas Turbines from April 1 to July 25 this year.

ALSO READ: SA not load shedding free yet, Ramaphosa warns