Load shedding likely to continue until April 2023: Energy Analyst

Load shedding is likely to occur for 48 weeks between now and April of next year, according to Energy Analyst, Ted Blom.

He has accused Eskom of not being honest with South Africans by making its maintenance schedule public.

Blom comments come after an Eskom media briefing where it was announced that the country could experience more than 60 days of load shedding.

In its response, Eskom reiterated that load shedding will remain elevated until gaps in its generation capacity are filled.

Residents and business owners are finding alternatives to keep the lights on. This can be costly forcing some businesses to pass on the cost to consumers.

One business has 25 litres of diesel and 2 generators on standby should the lights go off abruptly.

A mandatory requirement to prevent losses and throwing out any stock.

Cotton Lounge owner,  Xolisile Guqaza says: “We have to refuel the generators and diesel is always going up. We have also had to beef up our security because people walk out once it gets dark. Be that as it may, we continue to do business.”

Recently South Africans have been in the dark after Eskom implemented various stages of blackouts.

Some residents have found other non-commercial alternatives.

Dominique De Gouveia says: “We have set up an inverter which kicks in when the power goes out. And we are not aware when load shedding hits us. We can’t use things that heat up, we have to conserve battery life.”

So far Eskom has announced plans to cut the power based on energy generating capacity.

Energy expert, Ted Blom accuses Eskom of being dishonest about the stages of load shedding and its generation capacity.

An allegation Eskom has denied.

The power utility says its long-standing supply deficit will only worsen if government fails to procure at least 3 000 MW.

Blom says he managed to get hold of the load shedding schedule for next year: “From what I have seen, it shows that there’s a high probability of load shedding for 48 weeks. That means less than five weeks with no load shedding.”

Blom says transparency will enable South Africans to find long-term solutions to the energy supply.

He claims the energy utility has degenerated the country’s economy from an emerging one to that of a third-world country. One where high unemployment and a stagnant economy are the order of the day.

Eskom says it made the government aware of a 6 000 MW generation capacity shortfall as early as 2019.