Eskom executives say the state-owned power utility is on track to announce a permanent end to loadshedding thanks to its recovery plan, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: Eskom’s surplus capacity sparks loadshedding optimism
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane said this on Monday during a presentation of the company’s summer maintenance plan in Johannesburg.
Thanks to a reduction in unplanned outages (from 18 000MW at its peak to around 10 000MW), South Africans could be in for ‘a comfortable summer’ with limited loadshedding, he said.
This is due to the country’s energy availability factor (EAF) increasing from its lowest point of 50% last year to 67% year-to-date. The EAF is the percentage of plants in working order and supplying power.
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Koeberg 2 and Medupi, as well as the last unit of Kusile, are due to come online later this year, adding another 2 500MW to the grid.
However, the three units are delayed due to a prolonged outage at Koeberg 2 and missing parts for Kusile unit 6, while Medupi requires additional design work.
‘I want to remind you that we presented the recovery plan as soon as the board approved it last April, and we said that this is what would need to be done…these things did not happen by chance… we consistently worked the plan,’ said Eskom’s head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo.
Unexpected breakdowns across the fleet were reduced, but the recovery plan focused on six key stations where the biggest improvements were expected.
‘It was across the fleet. That is why we have that structural shift. It was the way things needed to be done (that changed). We needed to have that culture rolling across the generation fleet,’ Nxumalo added.
Furthermore, a reduction in unplanned losses resulted in 7 000MW in additional capacity, and staff morale has seen a marked improvement.
‘We have seen a shift in staff commitment, and once the belief is there, we see that there is a good performance across the stations. You can see it; you can breathe it. We are very happy with the support from the board, the ministry, and the public. It was tough to stand in front of the public a year ago.’
As reported by News24, a crucial part of the turnaround was for Eskom’s management and board to take back control of basic human resource functions that had been taken away by former shareholder representative Pravin Gordhan.
Eskom chair Mteto Nyati, who took on the role in October 2023 and joined the new board in September 2022, said politicians needed to have ‘some tough conversations’.
Nyati said a salary freeze was in place at the power utility and all performance incentives, both short- and long-term, have been stopped.
‘There had been a freeze in salaries for five years. That is something we thought was wrong because it was a collective punishment.’
‘You were targeted whether you performed well or not. There were no targets that could drive the right kind of behaviour. The responsibility to adjust the pay of employees also sat with the shareholders. That is really a problem, in a company.’
He adds that a monthly incentive bonus for employees at power stations has been key to the overall turnaround.
‘We now have a virtuous cycle where things are happening and are not necessarily driven by us as leadership but by employees themselves, largely at the back of the incentives. When you start to see people going the extra mile, and they can be rewarded, that is what you want.’
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