Image Source: Eskom
Local – Despite the staggering amount spent by Eskom, energy insecurity in South Africa remains unresolved. The utility spent R5.26 billion on diesel during the current financial year to operate its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) and maintain its electricity supply.
Although load shedding has been suspended for now, concerns remain over the sustainability of Eskom’s approach. Energy expert and Sinan Energy CEO Mohamed Madhi stated that the continued reliance on diesel is both technically inappropriate and economically damaging.
He said that the OCGTs were not designed to run continuously. They were intended to provide support during periods of peak electricity demand.
According to Madhi, their current usage poses significant operational risks and places immense strain on the system. If the turbines fail, the consequences could include renewed power cuts.
“The open-cycle gas turbines were never meant to be running 24/7 or for an extended period of time continuously. They’re not designed that way. They are meant to be peaking plants … not continuously, indefinitely,” he said.
“They are being pushed beyond their design limits, and they are being operated outside of their design limits. So there is a major risk there. Those gas turbines are susceptible to some sort of failure,” Madhi added.
Eskom Justifies Diesel Budget
Moreover, Eskom has argued that diesel use remains within its budget and is expected to decline as more generating units are brought back online. Madhi, however, expressed doubt over these projections. He said the utility has a history of underestimating the vulnerability of its infrastructure.
He acknowledged that Eskom’s maintenance efforts have improved in recent years. However, the power station fleet remains old, and many repairs have been delayed. This means unexpected breakdowns remain likely.
“Any one of those power stations in the fleet can go down now or in the future. And I don’t think that has been adequately planned for,” he said.
South Africa is experiencing over 13,000 megawatts in unplanned outages, well above international norms. Madhi warned that while major blackouts have subsided, the country is not in the clear.
“I don’t think we’re going to have the kind of load shedding we saw in March 2023, but it’s possible we’ll see some return over high-use periods like the end of winter or midsummer,” he stated.
Citizens Advised to Look into Alternative Power Supply
Electricity prices have also continued to rise. Eskom’s tariff increase of 12.74% this year has outpaced inflation, placing further pressure on households and businesses. Madhi attributed this in part to the diesel spend.
He recommended that consumers adopt solar and battery storage technologies, which have become more cost-effective than Eskom’s supply, even in the absence of load shedding.
“The cost of alternatives continues to drop, whereas Eskom’s prices continue to rise. That crossover point has already been reached, alternatives are cheaper than Eskom prices even without load shedding,” Madhi said.
He noted that over 5,000 megawatts of solar energy have already been installed by private users in South Africa. He said this trend should continue and called for state incentives to support the transition.
“Many companies and individuals have already done this. We need to lobby the government to continue providing the incentives to make it easier and more attractive. That trend needs to continue,” he said.
