ESKOM: THE STATE-OWNED ELECTRICITY UTILITY THAT PROMISES TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON… OR DOES IT?
Imagine a world where the country’s electricity grid is held hostage by a behemoth that can’t even ensure a steady supply of juice to its citizens. Meet Eskom, the "state-owned electricity utility" that’s been touting a "milestone" in its generation performance – six months without load shedding.
A RECORD FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO MEET DEMAND
The last time Eskom was forced to implement load shedding, which was an unprecedented 184 days ago, it was on 26 March. Yeah, that’s right – they’ve managed to maintain this impressive feat of non-competence for an entire six months. Talk about a badge of honor.
PLANNED MAINTENANCE? WHAT PLANNED MAINTENANCE?
While Eskom claims that planned maintenance has increased, let’s not forget that their energy availability factor (EAF) has actually dropped to 59% over the past week and a paltry 63% for the year to date. So, basically, they’re still burning more diesel than they would like to admit, which adds up to a pretty penny – R5.8 billion in the first half of 2024 alone.
KOEBERG: THE EPICENTER OF ESKOM’S WOES
The problem at Koeberg nuclear power station has been a major setback, forcing Eskom to use its diesel-burning open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) at an alarming rate. Yes, you heard that right – diesel-burning open-cycle gas turbines. How very… efficient.
WHEN THE COLD COMES, ESKOM’S GRIP ON SUPPLY SLIPS
Speaking of cold fronts, the recent weather has forced Eskom to use more OCGTs than they’d like to admit, causing a minor panic about potential power outages. Don’t worry, they assure us, they’ll figure it out… or at least, they hope they will.
IT’S NOT ALL BAD, RIGHT? RIGHT?!
Hey, look on the bright side – Eskom has managed to reduce their diesel consumption since April 2024, which is great, we guess. Yeah, who needs reliability or a consistent supply of electricity when you can say you’ve reduced your diesel spending by a few billion bucks?
So, here’s to Eskom, the "state-owned electricity utility" that’s single-handedly keeping the industry afloat (or so it seems). Keep up the good work, Eskom!
