Eskom hits back that Matshela Koko’s comment on load shedding is a diversion

Power utility Eskom has responded to its former acting CEO Matshela Koko’s comments on load shedding, saying they were a diversion and “far from the truth”.

Responding to ongoing alerts from Eskom about load shedding, Koko claimed there was more to it than meets the eye.

South Africans on social media, along with the Democratic Alliance, have been speculating as to why Eskom could be implementing load shedding at a time when demand is meant to be at its lowest.

Koko said load shedding has actually not been necessary, and there’s more than a whiff of conspiracy to his view.

“I think load shedding is a diversion. There is no need for it. Something is horribly wrong at Eskom today to justify load shedding. At 23% reserve margin, there is plenty of generating capacity. The real problem for Eskom is the IPPs. Don’t be fooled,” said Koko on Monday.

But Eskom said it had been implementing load shedding because of the deteriorating plant performance over the past six months. Generating units being out of service due to breakdowns have resulted in a shortage of capacity, thus load shedding was needed to protect the power system from a total collapse, said Eskom.

Also read: Matshela Koko thinks load shedding is a diversion

In fact, the 23% reserve margin does not take into account all power stations.

“If one takes all power stations into account there is an operational surplus and sufficient megawatts to meet demand. However, due to the magnitude of units on technical breakdowns the number of megawatts to meet demand has reduced,” said Eskom.

“In order to match the demand in the country load shedding has to be implemented to balance what is available and to avoid a total collapse of the power system,” the utility added.

The challenges being faced by the utility could “only” be resolved through a partnership with government key stakeholders, and all electricity customers.

“We are confident that we have the capacity to address these power generation challenges. South Africans can also assist us by using electricity sparingly and reducing demand throughout the day by switching off nonessential appliances and lighting.”

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