Loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 15 July 2024

Here's the loadshedding outlook for this week.

Loadshedding continues to be suspended as of Monday, 15 July 2024, marking more than 110 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply.

Loadshedding outlook for this week: Here’s what to expect

What is the Current State of the Power System?

As of Monday, 15 July 2024, Eskom has maintained a steady and reliable power supply for more than three months, including 73 days since the onset of winter.

This period of stability is attributed to the Generation Recovery Plan implemented in March 2023 and extensive planned maintenance activities.

The last similar period of uninterrupted power supply occurred between 8 September 2020 and 11 December 2020.

Eskom’s operational efficiency continues to exceed expectations.

Unplanned outages have averaged 12,500MW since the start of this financial year, with a recent figure of 12,011MW, significantly lower than the winter forecast of 15,500MW.

The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) has decreased to 26.99% for the financial year to date (1 April 2024 to 11 July 2024), improving from 34.78% in the corresponding period last year.

This reduction represents a 7.8% improvement.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has also shown significant improvement.

The year-to-date EAF increased to 61.8%, up from 54.76% in the same period last year.

The weekly EAF has increased from 57.0% at the beginning of the financial year to 66.44% from 8 July to 11 July 2024.

What is the Likelihood of Loadshedding This Week?

Given the current state of the power system, Eskom does not anticipate implementing loadshedding this week.

The strategic use of peaking stations, including the Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), has been crucial in managing electricity demand during peak times, especially in the evenings (from 17:00 to 22:00).

Diesel consumption remains under the projected figures for this winter and is significantly lower than the previous year’s usage.

From 1 April 2024 to 11 July 2024, Eskom spent R3.33 billion on OCGTs, generating 487.16GWh, approximately 70% less than the R10.98 billion spent last year over the same period for 1,822.67GWh.

The OCGT load factor for this period was 5.83%, compared to last year’s figure of 21.81%.

For the period from 1 July to 11 July 2024, the OCGT load factor was 2.74%, lower than last year’s 26.37%.

Eskom has scheduled about 1,436MW of generating capacity to return to service by Monday, 15 July 2024.

Here’s the loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 15 July 2024

Here is the official loadshedding schedule:

Date00:00 –
05:00
05:00 –
16:00
16:00 –
20:00
20:00 –
00:00
Mon
15 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Tues
16 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Wed
17 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Thurs
18 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Friday
19 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Sat
20 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
Sun
21 July 24
Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*Suspended*
*Loadshedding schedule subject to change at short notice. Updated stages are highlighted in bold.

Readers from these metros can check the latest loadshedding schedule below:

What is the average demand expected to be this week?

Eskom anticipates a continued high demand for electricity due to the ongoing winter season.

The focus will be on managing peak demand periods effectively. The strategic use of peaking stations and the improved reliability of the generation fleet are expected to support a stable power supply.

Efforts to reduce unplanned outages and maintain the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) will be key to meeting the high electricity demand.