The embattled power utility Eskom says the suspension of loadshedding has surpassed the 250-day mark, resulting in year-on-year diesel savings of R16.99 billion.
In a media statement on Friday, Eskom said the investment in the Generation Recovery Plan continued to yield consistent results, with loadshedding suspended for 254 consecutive days since 26 March 2024.
"This achievement reflects the on-going success of comprehensive structural improvements within the coal-fired fleet, reinforcing Eskom's commitment to providing a reliable energy supply, enabling economic growth, and promoting long-term sustainability," the statement read.
"With the December summer break approaching and many industries shutting down for this period, along with continuous progress in minimising unplanned outages, Eskom has started to gradually increase its planned maintenance activities to further improve the reliability of its generation fleet."
The state-owned entity said the recovery plan had resulted in year-on-year diesel savings of R16.99 billion, approximately 70.0% less than the R24.27 billion spent during the same period last year.
Diesel usage remained below the year-to-date budget.
SAVE YOUR TRANSFORMERS, SAVE LIVES
Eskom said while loadshedding remained suspended, the power utility continues to face network overloading issues in certain local areas due to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, unauthorised network operations, theft of network equipment, and purchasing electricity from unlicensed vendors.
It said to prevent public safety hazards and the risk of network overloading, which can lead to load reduction measures and extended unplanned power outages, Eskom strongly urged customers to avoid illegal connections.
"Such actions can negatively impact the entire local community and result in hefty remedial fines." Eskom warned.
