Monday marks day 200+ without loadshedding.
Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy, said several factors led to Eskom’s turnaround.
These are the introduction of leadership, coupled with management development training and psychological support.
He said the introduction of personnel with the right technical skills and expertise in stations that contributed to 70% of losses, also helped the turnaround of Eskom.
About 190 Supervisors, 307 Managers and 25 Senior Managers were enrolled in leadership development programs in the current financial year.
About 2,500 recruited and crowdsourcing of engineers and operational staff.
Since the announcement of the Energy Action Plan in 2022, by President Ramaphosa, Ramokgopa said fiscal support from National Treasury, as well as the maintenance of power stations, has reduced unplanned outages by ~8.6% and improved the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) by ~7.7%, enhancing the reliability of the generation fleet.
The plan is projected to contribute to a potential ~2% growth in the South African economy and improve Eskom’s financial performance for the financial year 2025 (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025).
Mteto Nyathi, Eskom Board Chairperson, said “to address the crisis that the current Eskom Board inherited when they took office in October 2022, it conducted an independent investigation and consulted with power station management using a data-driven approach to create the Generation Recovery Plan.
Today’s achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire team in implementing this plan. It demonstrates that with the right leadership, strategic planning,
and unwavering commitment, we can overcome even the most daunting challenges.
Eskom’s journey towards a stable and reliable power supply is well on track, and we remain focused on sustaining this progress for the benefit of all South Africans.”
Dan Marokane, Eskom Group Chief Executive, said in a statement on Sunday, the turnaround plan has not only reduced unplanned outages, but prepared Eskom for the future “in preparation for a competitive electricity market, this is a significant milestone to ensure energy security and attracting investment to South Africa. We are days away from a further milestone that demonstrates the stability of our fleet, on Saturday 18 October 2024 we are on track to reach 206 days without loadshedding, a result we last delivered five years ago on 15 October 2019.”