SA’s electricity production continued on a downward spiral in November, with Eskom’s contributions dwindling as it implements record load-shedding.
Power generation was down 1.7% year on year in November 2022, though seasonally adjusted monthly output rose 1.8%, according to Stats SA. Seasonally adjusted electricity output fell by 3.1% in the three months to November 30 compared with the previous three months.
In the 11 months to end-November, Eskom’s contribution was 193,648 GWh, a decline of 3.6% from the same period a year earlier as the troubled state-owned utility’s mainly coal-fired fleet becomes increasingly unreliable, forcing it to intensify power cuts.
Last year was the worst on record since load-shedding was first introduced in 2008, with power cuts implemented on 207 days.
SA’s 46,000MW of installed electricity-generation capacity, which is meant to supply the SA’s peak demand of 32,000MW, often runs at below 60% of available capacity because of maintenance, unplanned outages, and an ageing fleet.
Electricity distribution (consumption), meanwhile, fell by 2.3% year on year in November, though it rose 0.9% month on month on a seasonally adjusted basis, Stats SA said. Seasonally adjusted electricity distribution was down 3.8% in the three months ended November compared with the previous three months.
There is no end in sight for the problems at Eskom, which owes about R400bn, with CEO André de Ruyter — who resigned last month — the target of an alleged assassination attempt by poisoning. De Ruyter, who will step down at the end of March, said in December that he resigned because his position had become untenable.
The persistent power cuts are hammering an already weak national economy as businesses and factories scramble to keep the lights on. Eskom on Tuesday announced that stage 6 load-shedding, which removes 6,000MW of power from the grid, will continue until further notice after more plant breakdowns.
The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report shows SA continues to be a drag on the continent’s growth prospects, with GDP estimated to expand by just 1.9% in 2022, down from an earlier forecast of 2.1%, in large part because of the problems at Eskom.
— With Thuletho Zwane
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