President Cyril Ramaphosa says government will release a detailed report outlining the work done to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations, a year since the cabinet launched the energy action plan to resolve the load-shedding crisis. Ramaphosa said this today in his weekly report newsletter.

ESKOM CRISIS STABILISING 

"We are releasing a detailed report outlining the work done to improve the performance of Eskom’s power stations, accelerate the building of new generation capacity, and drive regulatory reforms to transform the electricity sector," he said. The President said the power utility worst-case scenario is now in the past. "The winter months will soon be coming to an end. Although load shedding has continued, as was anticipated, we have managed to avert a worst-case scenario by stabilising the performance of Eskom’s power stations and reducing demand," he said adding that,  Eskom’s generation fleet continues to show sustained improvement. Ramaphosa said generation power losses have decreased by 2 000 megawatts (MW). "Unplanned losses have been reduced to less than 16,000 MW in the last two months, down from more than 18,000 MW previously. Planned maintenance has been reduced during the winter period, with Eskom having undertaken significant maintenance in the months preceding winter."

POWER STATIONS COMING BACK ONLINE 

He said units at Kusile and Medupi Power Stations have returned back online. "Looking ahead, damaged units at the Kusile and Medupi power stations are being returned to service on an expedited basis. In combination, these units represent more than 3,000 MW of capacity," Ramaphosa said the regulatory changes which allow private players to inject electricity into the grid have impacted electricity supply positively.

ESKOM TO RECEIVE 10 000 MEGAWATTS 

He said Eskom has unlocked 400 MW from companies with extra available capacity and 600MW is currently in the contracting process He added additional 400MW will come from Mozambique and 2300MW from emergency power projects. "Regulatory changes have helped to boost private investment in new generation capacity. These changes include the removal of the licensing threshold for generation facilities and the fast-tracking of project approvals and registration. This work has enabled a massive boom in private investment in electricity generation, with a pipeline of more than 10,000 MW of new capacity that will begin to connect to the grid later this year." He encouraged citizens to get involved in tracking the work of the National Energy Crisis Committee and see how to reduce their consumption and save on energy bills.