Eskom group executive for generation Bheki Nxumalo says the utility is focussed on ensuring that South Africa achieves a full year without loadshedding at midnight on March 26, after the 300-day milestone was breached on January 21 – one that was last achieved in June 2018.

Nxumalo, who has since March 2023 been leading the Generation Recovery Plan that is credited for facilitating a reduction in unplanned breakdowns, attributed the turnaround to Eskom’s 40 000 employees.

“These 300 days without loadshedding have been characterised by a significant reduction in unplanned outages, which have long been one of the biggest challenges, a notable improvement in the energy availability factor of approximately 7%, and savings in diesel expenditure of R16.42-billion,” Nxumalo said in a statement.

The “elimination” of loadshedding has emerged as a key message for South Africa’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is also using the platform to highlight the reforms that have taken place in the electricity sector to encourage private sector participation and competition.

In a separate statement Ramokgopa said government was focused on increasing generation capacity from 48 GW to 78 GW by 2035, with significant investments in renewable energy, natural gas, and nuclear power.

Eskom CEO Dan Marokane, who is also in Davos, argued that the recovery was a key contributor towards positive sentiments regarding South Africa’s growth prospects “of up to 2%” this year. 

“Public sentiment is shifting, business leaders who once had to invest precious capex in self-generation have enquired whether they should revert to investing in Eskom for their power needs.

“The savings we are making in diesel spend are invested in the business to drive efficiencies further and place Eskom on a path to profitability and long-term operational and financial sustainability,” Marokane said in a statement.