Eskom updates load-shedding schedule

Eskom has announced the new load-shedding schedule that will repeat daily until further notice.
The new schedule will be active from 14:00 on Saturday 9 July, and comprises the following:
- 00:00 until 16:00 – No load-shedding
- 16:00 until 23:59 – Stage 3 load-shedding
Eskom said that it is able to continue avoiding load-shedding for most of the day because it has managed to secure consistently available generation capacity.
It will publish another update if any significant changes occur.
Lower load-shedding here to stay
This follows electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa telling reporters that the current lower levels of load-shedding are not artificial, but rather as a result of improved generation capacity.
Energy availability factor (EAF) refers to the proportion of generating capacity that is online and available for a given period – and Ramokgopa said that Eskom has managed to lift its EAF by 12 percentage points.
A significant reason for this, Ramokgopa added, is that Eskom has been continually identifying the technical issues that most commonly affect its generating units.
“Once we have isolated what the issues are, we find and deploy the expertise. That is why you are seeing improvements,” said Ramokgopa.
However, Ramokgopa did not mention that Eskom has been running its open-cycle gas turbine power stations heavily – as shown in the utility’s evening peak statistics.
In fact, energy analyst Anton Eberhard estimates that Eskom is burning over R30 billion of diesel that has not been budgeted for.