Zuko Komisa

“We are not yet out of the woods” – Electricity Minister applauds the work done by officials at Eskom.
There hasn’t been any load shedding for at least 54 days throughout the nation. According to Ramokgopa, the diligent efforts of Eskom executives have played a significant role in the current enhanced energy performance in South Africa.
The Minister gave a media briefing at Megawatt Park on Monday addressing the most recent advancements in the execution of the Energy Action Plan, which President Cyril Ramaphosa presented in July 2022.
According to Ramokgopa, the use of solar energy is still part of the plan to prevent load shedding, and the effectiveness of renewable energy projects does not always translate into better performance from Eskom.
“What we are seeing now is an exceptionally improved energy situation…is as a result of [a] constellation of efforts on the part of Eskom. It’s [also] an all-of-government effort to ensure that we resolve the challenges that are facing the country…the resolution of an energy deficit.
“We are not yet out of the woods but we can see the trend line. We know that we are going to have momentary setbacks. It is the nature of this, but we must be fixed on…returning units on time. And where there are periods of failure, you mustn’t be despondent, the [Open Cycle Gas Turbines] are part of the fleet. They are designed…that during afternoon peak, when you have elevated demand, if you are struggling to meet that demand then you engage the OCGTs.
“If you look at the period that they were on load on average was previously about 17% and then now, we are just shy of 6%. So it’s a considerable drop on the usage. From the 1st of April 2024 to the 16th of May, Eskom spent R1.24 billion in engaging the OCGTs. The same period last year…we had burnt R5.2 billion worth of diesel. Essentially, we have seen a drop of 78%,”
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa,
[WATCH]: Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa giving an update on the Energy Action Plan.#KayaNews #LoadShedding NPM pic.twitter.com/7a6pDGw36t
— Kaya 959 News, We standing on business (@KayaNews) May 20, 2024
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