- Eskom says South Africans should brace themselves for a stricter winter than last year’s, with higher load-shedding stages set to remain.
- Cassim said one of the biggest questions he frequently asks is whether South Africa will be plunged into a complete blackout.
Eskom says South Africans should brace themselves for a stricter winter than last year’s, with higher load-shedding stages set to remain. In the longer term, two of Eskom’s most senior executives said the power utility is already transforming how it will operate to mitigate load shedding.
Segomoco Scheppers, Eskom’s Head of Transmission, said they would, in future, move to an EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) model, drawing on the expertise of the private sector for a new generation and infrastructure build, management and development.
Scheppers and Calib Cassim, the power utility’s acting group CEO, had a fireside chat with James Mackay, Energy Council of SA CEO, on the opening day of Enlit Africa 2023 in Cape Town. The audience in attendance heard that South Africans should expect a winter of Stage 6 load-shedding peaks and a best-case scenario of Stage 4.
Cassim said we needed to look at the energy landscape of last winter compared to this year. He said South Africa is without nearly 3,000MW this year because the Kusile power station (2,000MW) and Koeberg nuclear power station (900MW)are unavailable to the national grid.
Cassim said one of the biggest questions he frequently asks is whether South Africa will be plunged into a complete blackout. “I can confidently say we are not going to get there. I don’t lose sleep over a blackout. I lose sleep about reaching Stage 8.” The acting group CEO said he was confident in the team’s competence to turn the country’s energy fortunes around. Cassim said seven control checks needed to be reached for a blackout to happen.