Eskom released an update on the state of the power system on 12 February.
Their ambition is not to implement load shedding at any given day, but because they are operating an old and vulnerable power system, sometimes technical faults are experienced, and this increases the risk of load shedding.
Eskom’s plant maintenance plan is underway and will continue until May at all power stations, including open cycle gas turbines.
Maintenance includes among others the replacement of parts, servicing of equipment and inspection of facilities at all stations.
They therefore expect the power grid to remain constrained for the rest of the week and the rest of the summer.
Eskom called on all South Africans to pull together over the next few months and use electricity sparingly.
Less is more this summer and homeowners and businesses can do so with just four steps: first, switching off geysers and pool pumps; second, switching off non-essential lights; third, efficient use of air-conditioners by keeping the room temperature at 23 deg C and finally, responding to the alerts on television each evening.
Trends in the supply and demand of power in South Africa are as follows:
The capacity available to meet tomorrow’s evening peak demand is 29 965MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 30 627MW.
Saturday (14 February): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 28 746MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 29 020MW.
Sunday (15 February): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 28 797MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 29 004MW.
They expect demand in electricity to be in line with expectations for this time of the year and urged customers to reduce their electricity usage throughout the day to help ease pressure on the system.
Peak demand and available capacity for the rest of this week is forecast at (note that these are estimates and will likely differ from the actual figures):
Monday (16 February): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 28 896MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 31 602MW.
Tuesday (17 February): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 28 438MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 31 481MW.
Wednesday (18 February): The capacity available to meet that evening’s peak demand is 29 031MW (including open cycle gas turbines) while demand is forecast at 31 635MW.
Eskom continues to make progress with its programme of planned maintenance, but the system remains tight.
They urged all South Africans to partner with them to save 10% of their electricity usage throughout the day.
This will make it significantly easier to manage the power system during this challenging time, while also enabling them to do planned maintenance to ensure the reliability of their plant.
