Eskom's victory over load shedding: A double-edged sword?
Eskom 's recent achievement of over 150 days without load shedding has been met with a mixture of relief and concern among energy experts.
This should be taken for granted from a utility—a basic expectation that it can serve its customers consistently. “The reason they’ve been able to avoid load shedding is by circumventing pollution standards and running coal plants longer than they arguably should,” Lenferna explained. While the generation side may have shown some improvement, Lenferna warned that the distribution network was under severe strain, leading to increased instances of load reduction. “Even here in Nelson Mandela Bay, we’ve seen distribution infrastructure collapse because it was too rusted, leading to days without power.”
Meanwhile, working-class households, unable to afford these alternatives, are left bearing the brunt of Eskom’s unreliability and escalating costs. He attributed this to a combination of factors, including the proliferation of informal settlements, illegal connections and the failure to maintain and protect critical assets over time.
Kgosientsho Ramokgopa Load Reduction
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