Loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 22 July 2024

Eskom announced the continuation of the loadshedding suspension, marking 114 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply as of Monday, 22 July 2024.

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

What is the Current State of the Power System?

The power system remains stable, with Eskom maintaining a consistent power supply since 26 March 2024.

The last similar prolonged period of stability occurred nearly four years ago, between 8 September 2020 and 11 December 2020.

The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), which measures the reliability of power plants, decreased to 26.85% for the financial year to date (1 April 2024 to 18 July 2024), improving from 34.89% in the same period last year.

This reduction in UCLF represents an 8% improvement.

Unplanned outages have averaged 12,000MW over the past seven days, contributing to a total available capacity of 32,478MW, a 13% improvement compared to the same period last year.

What is the Likelihood of Loadshedding This Week?

Eskom does not anticipate implementing loadshedding this week due to the ongoing stability of the power system.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF), which indicates the availability of power plants to generate electricity, has increased to 62.1% for the year-to-date (1 April 2024 to 18 July 2024), a 7.2% improvement compared to the same period last year.

The weekly EAF has improved significantly from 57.0% at the beginning of the financial year to 67.38% from 15 July to 18 July 2024.

Seven power stations, including Camden, Kendal, Kusile, Majuba, Matimba, Medupi, and Peaking, recorded an EAF of 70% and higher.

Eskom’s strategic use of peaking stations, including Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs), has been crucial in managing electricity demand during peak times.

Diesel consumption remains under the projected figures for this winter and is significantly lower than the past two years.

Between 1 April 2024 and 18 July 2024, Eskom spent R3.36 billion on OCGTs, generating 491.36GWh.

This expenditure is approximately 71% less than the R11.44 billion spent over the same period last year for 1,899.95GWh.

The OCGT load factor, which measures how much the turbines are used, was 5.50% for this period, compared to last year’s 21.27%. From 1 July to 18 July 2024, the OCGT load factor was 1.96%, significantly lower than last year’s 21.36%.

Here’s the loadshedding schedule starting Monday, 22 July 2024

Here is the official loadshedding schedule:

Date	00:00 – 05:00	05:00 – 16:00	16:00 – 20:00	20:00 – 00:00
Mon 22 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Tues 23 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Wed 24 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Thurs 25 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Friday 26 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Sat 27 July 24	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*	Suspended*
Sun 28 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’s projected evening peak demand for this week is expected to average 29,209MW.

The demand is expected to remain high due to the winter season.

However, the ongoing stability of the power system, supported by improved maintenance and reduced unplanned outages, is expected to meet this demand effectively.