The electricity grid in South Africa is to be strengthened by the end of the month due to improving generating units, Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said today (Monday, 12 August).
An additional 2,500MW is expected to be available to South Africa’s electricity grid from Eskom generating units by the end of August, the Minister said.
He was speaking during a media briefing in Pretoria.
Ramokgopa said Medupi Unit 4 is expected to “give us 800MW and to fire up Kusile Unit 6, which is another 800MW.”
“We are hoping to get an extension of life of Koeberg Unit 2. We are doing everything by the book and we are still optimistic about getting that extension of life, and it will give us an additional 980MW.
“We do expect that by the end of August this year, just from the Eskom fleet, we should be getting an additional 2,500MW,” he said.
Loadshedding threat remains
The Minister cautioned, however, that although “we remain buoyant” regarding Eskom’s performance, loadshedding is still not a thing of the past.
“I really want to caution that loadshedding is not behind us. In the next three weeks or so Eskom will be sharing what the summer outlook is. We are still buoyant about the performance of these generation plants.
“Having said that, we need to caution against any early declaration to decree loadshedding as behind us. We do everything possible to resolve this question but the numbers do indicate that we are within touching distance,” Ramokgopa said.
Recognition of new leadership, turnaround at power stations
The Minister made special mention of Tutuka, Kendal and Kriel power stations.
“Tutuka has experienced a significant amount of challenges over a period of time… but we are seeing results now.
“Just this period from March to August, the unplanned capacity loss factor [UCLF] has reduced by 29%. That’s significant from where Tutuka started; they’ve moved from 2,411MW to 949MW.
“At Kendal, there were major issues with regard to exceeding the emissions standards, so there [were] a number of interventions that had to be made. Today… we were able to reduce the [UCLF] from 2,500MW out, and now we’re sitting at about 919MW.
“We have seen exceptional results at Kriel, with the reduction in the UCLF having gone down 53% from 1,400MW to about 508MW,” the Minister said.
He explained that the change in leadership at the helm has changed the trajectory of those stations.
“The people issues do matter, and the Eskom leadership has taken that into account. The fact that you place the most seasoned, loyal and patriotic individuals to be at the helm of those power stations has given us the kind of results that are required,” Ramokgopa said.
Edited by ESI Africa. Source: sanews.gov.za
FAQs about grid capacity in South Africa
Is the grid capacity the same as the generational capacity?
Generation capacity is how much electricity the power stations can generate. Grid capacity is how much power the system can reliably deliver.
What are Eskom’s interim grid capacity allocation rules?
The grid capacity allocation rules are designed to reflect the principles of non-discriminatory and open access to the grid in South Africa.
Where do load curtailment and loadshedding interplay with the grid?
Load curtailment is a practice that Eskom uses wherein large power users are directly asked to reduce their power usage. Loadshedding is the rotational outage of electricity supply.
Who is in charge of the grid in South Africa?
Once the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill is enacted, the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) will own and operate the country’s national transmission system, the System Operator, the grid strengthening function, energy market services and the International Trader. Currently, distribution grids mostly fall under either Eskom or local municipalities.
