Pretoria - Eskom says it anticipates no load shedding for the rest of winter as it continues to make progress with the maintenance of its power generating plants.
“Our prognosis for winter and beyond is that there will be no load shedding. Eskom is progressing well with the maintenance of its power generating plant while supplying the country’s electricity needs,” said the utility’s Group Chief Executive Brian Molefe.
He briefed the media on Tuesday on the state of the power system in winter and going into the summer season.
The power utility has set a target of conducting 8 500 MW of maintenance in winter and 11 500 MW in summer.
Meanwhile, renewable energy will continue to contribute to the country’s energy requirements with photovoltaic contributing 900 MW and wind contributing 880 MW of the total installed capacity of 2 310 MW of electricity generated during the day from solar and wind, including Eskom’s Sere wind farm in the Western Cape.
In June, energy availability reached 81%. This was a feat that was last achieved in July 2013.
The use of open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) was minimal, with OCGT energy sent out decreasing from 1 801 GWh to 16 GWh.
Illegal connections
Molefe also spoke of the recent localised power outages caused by illegal connections that resulted in the overloading of the network in Soweto. Other areas that were affected are Katlehong, Diepsloot, Bramfischerville and Sebokeng.
The power utility replaced the damaged or failed equipment and in some cases upgraded the infrastructure. However, Molefe said this approach has not proven to be sustainable.
“Other interventions included the installation of protective structures, replacement of burnt fuses, retention of sagging conductors and load balancing on phases, which are all costly solutions,” said Molefe. – SAnews.gov.za
