“We are only just starting 2023, and South Africa has already experienced as much load shedding (hours) as almost the entire year of 2022”
The current data on load shedding in South Africa is alarming. There has only been one day without load shedding this year, totaling 106 days, which is quickly consuming the estimated 250 days expected by the South African Reserve Bank.
This is more than half the number of load shedding days experienced in 2022.
IS THE TALKS OF STAGE 11 A LOAD OF _ _ _ _?!
South Africa is facing a potential load-shedding crisis this winter, with the possibility of up to stage 11 power cuts. Despite Eskom’s assurances that stage 6 power cuts are unlikely, the country may have to implement an average of stage 4 power cuts, from April through to September 2023 to stabilize the grid, based on the current level of Eskom’s coal fleet CF at around 40%.
In a worst-case scenario, South Africa would experience stage 8 load-shedding in May, and anything between stage 9 and stage 11 in June. Although the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, does not anticipate significantly higher stages of load-shedding in the winter months, urgent action is still required to prevent the country from experiencing severe power cuts.
It is concerning that we are currently experiencing power cuts at stage 5 and 6 levels, despite not yet reaching the worst-case scenario predicted for this time of year. This is a cause for alarm, as we are only in mid-autumn.
WE HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME – WINTER IS COMING
South Africa is facing an energy crisis with winter approaching, and time is running out to resolve it. Eskom is unable to produce 23,000MW of energy reliably, and over 3,000MW of power is missing due to offline essential units. With winter demand expected to reach 37,000MW, the earliest capacity will return to the grid is in August when Koeberg unit 1 returns to service.
This has led to the realization that solving the energy crisis is not as straight-forward as building new capacity within specified timelines, as planners and spin doctors are now acknowledging.
“Is it finally time for me to invest in alternative power?”
To answer that question, you have to ask yourself, “How long am I willing to live with this and do I truly believe it will end?”
While solar power can be costly, there are ways to invest in it that won’t break the account.
With South Africa’s current power crisis, there’s no guarantee that the government will be able to regain full control or that any funding will be used effectively to address the issue. This could result in increased electricity bills.
Investing in solar power now may be the last chance to take control of one’s own power source. Solar energy may not get cheaper due to the high demand, so investing sooner rather than later could pay off in the long run.
Get in touch with my team for more information on how you can prepare for winter.
