Month: June 2023

Hitting Turbulence: Eskom’s Ambitious Goals Questioned Noted rating agency Moody’s voiced apprehensions on Thursday regarding South African utility Eskom’s ability to boost its Energy Availability Factor (EAF). Eskom is wrestling with internal mismanagement, coal supply conundrums, skill shortages, and theft and sabotage issues. Consequently, meeting its ambitious EAF improvement targets looks increasingly unlikely. Eskom has […]

Navigating New Regulations There’s been a new development in South Africa’s ongoing energy saga. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has been presented with a set of regulations by the National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) Association of South Africa. These guidelines outline how power utility Eskom could execute load-shedding up to an unprecedented Stage […]

Eskom, the South African electricity public utility, has rolled out an amended load shedding agenda for the upcoming weekend. The New Load Shedding Cadence The current Stage 3 load shedding will persist until the stroke of midnight on Friday, 23 June, before a temporary suspension is applied until 5 AM on Saturday. The dawn of […]

South African electric utility, Eskom, is set to pilot a ground-breaking “load-limiting” initiative. Aiming to help residents in Johannesburg’s suburb, Fourways, keep the lights, televisions, and internet connections humming even during periods of load-shedding, the project is a significant step forward in managing the electricity crisis. Eskom’s Load-Limiting Innovation The residential community of Dainfern Valley, […]

South African retail giant, Mr Price, recently reported an annual revenue loss of about R1 billion for the fiscal year ending 1 April 2023. The retailer pointed to the crippling load shedding experienced in the second half of the fiscal year as the major culprit for this significant setback. A Dark Shadow over Festive Sales […]

Eskom, the South African power utility, breathes a sigh of relief as the winter season, typically a period of intensified load-shedding, hasn’t been as severe as anticipated. Acting Eskom GCEO, Calib Cassim, recently gave an update to parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), highlighting this fortunate deviation. Weathering the Energy Storm Not only has […]

In the global race for sustainable power, South Africa finds itself playing host to a convergence of European heavyweights. Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen have descended on the Rainbow Nation, joining hands with President Cyril Ramaphosa. Their agenda? Exploring solutions for South Africa’s persistent electricity woes and future investment […]

Paving the Way for Power Four months after announcing Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the new Electricity Minister, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that he’s still hammering out the budget details for the nascent ministry. This is a crucial step, given the department’s legislative responsibilities. According to Ramaphosa, the presidency is working with the National […]

Load shedding, the controlled interruption of electric power on a rotating basis to different areas, has been an ever-looming presence in South Africa’s communities for the last decade. While the tangible impacts of load shedding — such as interrupted workdays and darkness at home — are evident, there’s a lesser-acknowledged side to this phenomenon: the […]

Load shedding’s latest casualty in South Africa appears to be home security systems. The recurrent power outages are causing an alarming increase in false alarms, leading to stretched resources for security companies and compromised response times. Rising Tide of False Alarms Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT’s Head of Marketing and Communications, has raised the alarm over […]