Significant improvement in load shedding, says Ramokgopa
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says significant progress has been made in reducing the intensity of load shedding since the government implemented its Energy Action Plan.
Ramokgopa briefed the media on Monday as the country sits on rotational stage 3 and 2 load shedding.
Ramokgopa said despite the odd setback, the government is making progress.
"The improvement of the EAF (energy availability factor) and unplanned outages are a result of concerted efforts focusing on priority power stations, Kusile, Kendal, Majuba, Matla, Tutuka and Duvha, where each power station has its detailed recovery plan. A total of 3 510MW was recovered by January 2024 through these interventions.
"The highest level of planned maintenance was performed between December 2023 and January 2024, reaching an average of 18% of the generation capacity.
“Although heightened maintenance negated the EAF, the deliberate spike in planned maintenance is aimed at improving the reliability of the generation fleet to deliver long-term benefits and ensure the security of energy supply.”
Ramokgopa said a comparison of load shedding between December 2022 and February 2023 showed a reduction of load shedding by some 600 hours.
"The reduction in the intensity and frequency of load shedding, as well as the positive EAF trajectory, are the real signs that there is some improvement in the performance of the generation fleet. The focus remains on sustaining this trajectory.”
ALSO READ:
