Latest news with #OCGT
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Grid recovery brings hope for load shedding-free summer
Thabo Makwakwa | Published 4 hours ago South Africa's state of power grid shows real momentum after years of disruption, with unplanned outages shrinking, reliability rising, and a clear path toward a stable summer. During a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa framed the August briefing as evidence that disciplined maintenance, unit returns, and strategic upgrades finally translate into tangible, near-term resilience for households and businesses. The briefing, which draws on the Department of Electricity and Energy's August 2025 State of Electricity briefing, outlined a landscape in which unplanned outages are trending down and the grid shows signs of strengthened resilience ahead of the coming summer. Ramokgopa opened by acknowledging the progress while tempering expectations. 'What we're seeing is a recovery trajectory delivering real results - lower unplanned losses, higher reliability metrics, and a clearer path to secure generation capacity for the 2025/26 summer,' the minister said. 'We are not claiming victory, but we are confident that the combination of disciplined maintenance, returning units to service, and strategic upgrades will continue to strengthen the grid's resilience.' Key numbers presented in the briefing portray a sector moving away from the worst days of load shedding toward a more stable operating envelope. There has been no load shedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 31 July 2025. Between 1 April and 7 August 2025, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) fell to 28.35%, a week-on-week improvement of about 0.23%. The ministry cautioned that the system remains sensitive to external pressures and the realities of operating a large, aging fleet - still, the data point to meaningful gains. Ramokgopa stated that the year-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) stood at 60.14% by 8 August 2025 , up roughly 4.4 percentage points from April 2025. The weekly EAF oscillated between 62% and 70%, with a month-to-date average of 65.38%, signalling growing fleet stability and reliability. On the fuel side, he stated that the Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) performance showed a notable uptick in activity. The OCGT load factor reached 5.99% for the week, up from 0.31% the prior week. He stated that from 1 April to 7 August 2025 (the winter period), Eskom spent about R5.842 billion on fuel for its OCGT plants, generating 988.56 GWh. 'The year-to-date OCGT load factor stood at 9.35%, a slight week-on-week decrease but still higher than the 4.82% recorded during the same period last year.' The briefing highlighted a broad set of initiatives under the Operational Reliability and Sustainability Plan, designed to push long-term reliability and safety. These efforts include reducing the number of trips, improving outage planning and execution, and accelerating the implementation of strategic projects. The plan also emphasised a strengthened people-plant-process mindset, with root-cause analysis, trip reduction directives, and expanded partnerships with original equipment manufacturers and other utilities to improve availability of spares, technology, and maintenance capability. Beyond maintenance, the minister emphasised capacity additions and returns from units brought back from long-term outages. Since late 2023, several key units have returned online or been upgraded, contributing to approximately 2,500 MW of added capacity. Ramokgopa added that notable milestones include Koeberg Unit 1 returning to service, Kusile units coming back online, and Medupi Unit 4 synchronising in July 2025, all of which aim to reinforce security of supply as the grid moves through a transition period. The minister said that the improvements are about short-term numbers and longer-term stability. 'The focus on Koeberg, Medupi, Kusile, Tutuka, and other critical stations is about more than today's metrics. It's about maintaining a stable, predictable power system that supports households, industry, and the broader economy,' Ramokgopa said. [email protected] IOL Politics
The Citizen
11-08-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Eskom burns nearly R6 billion on diesel to keep lights on during winter
According to the power utility, there has been no rolling blackouts since 15 May 2025. Eskom says it plans to return a total of 3 280MW of generation capacity to service, while it burned nearly R6 billion worth of diesel to meet winter demand This comes as the country rides the wave of more than 80 days of no load shedding. According to the power utility, there have been no rolling blackouts since 15 May 2025, with load shedding only implemented for 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 31 July 2025. Diesel budget Eskom insists that its expenditure on diesel is within budget despite burning nearly R6 billion in fuel to run its open cycle gas turbines (OCGT) in the first four months of the financial year. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said between 1 April and 1 August, it spent R5.84bn on fuel for its OCGT plant. 'From 1 April to 7 August 2025, diesel spend remains within the allocated budget. The winter outlook, published on 5 May 2025, covering the period ending 31 August, remains valid. ALSO READ: Eskom adds more power to electricity grid as G20 summit approaches 'It indicates that load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to stage 2,' Mokwena said. Winter Mokwena said with just over three weeks of the utility's winter outlook period still remaining, the system remains well-positioned to maintain stability and meet demand effectively. 'To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 3 280MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 11 August 2025, and throughout the coming week.' Mokwena said between 1 April and 7 August 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which reflects the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, further decreased to 28.35%. Mokwena added that with load shedding suspended and electricity demand rising during the winter period, they are urging all customers to act responsibly and 'help safeguard the power system' by avoiding Illegal connections and meter bypassing. ALSO READ: Is Joburg ready to host G20? Gauteng on frenzy to repair potholes and streetlights [VIDEO]
The Citizen
14-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Adequate emergency reserves in place for occasional system constraints
Should Eskom implement load shedding, it will be limited to a maximum of 21 out of 153 days and restricted to Stage 2. While occasional system constraints do occur, Eskom says it has adequate emergency reserves in place. The power utility released its latest system outlook, reassuring South Africans that the system remains stable despite the drop in temperatures. With cold temperatures come high electricity demand and Eskom has been strategically deploying emergency reserves to support the demand during morning and evening peak periods. ALSO READ: We just came out of emergency load shedding, but Eskom has high hopes for winter There is sufficient supply to meet electricity demand over the long weekend, Eskom said. Eskom: 'Protect transformers' While the power utility works to keep the lights on during winter, it has called on the public to play their role by protecting critical infrastructure. 'Protect transformers this winter by avoiding illegal connections and preventing power failures. While load shedding remains suspended and electricity demand continues to rise during the winter period, Eskom urges the public to avoid illegal connections and energy theft,' it said. ALSO READ: Winter is coming: Does Eskom have a plan to prevent load shedding? 'These activities often lead to transformer overloads, equipment failures and in some cases, explosions and extended outages, prompting the need for load reduction to protect the network. 'To help maintain a stable electricity supply this winter, customers are encouraged to purchase electricity only from Eskom-accredited vendors and take responsibility by regularising their electricity usage. Eligible households are encouraged to register for free basic electricity with their local municipalities.' 'Use electricity efficiently' The power utility has urged South Africans to use electricity efficiently during the winter season. 'The power system remains stable and continues to demonstrate resilience amid rising electricity demand driven by colder weather conditions.' ALSO READ: Eskom winter outlook: Here's how many days of load shedding to expect in SA The diesel expenditure remains within budget for the financial year and usage is expected to decline further as more power units return from long-term repairs and maintenance activities, thereby increasing available generation capacity. 'The year-to-date OCGT load factor stands at 11.98%, representing a 0.30% increase from the previous week. This is higher than the 5.37% recorded during the same period last year. The diesel expenditure is still within budget for the current financial year,' said Eskom. Should Eskom implement load shedding, it will be limited to a maximum of 21 out of 153 days and restricted to Stage 2. READ NEXT: Eskom denies reports of 14-hour load shedding in June
Zawya
04-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UAE: Trojan, Samsung start work on 1,000MW Al Dhafra power plant
Abu Dhabi-based Trojan General Contracting has announced that along with Samsung C&T it has officially kicked off site activities for a major open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power generation plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Once operational, the Al-Dhafra OCGT project will have a generation capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW), supporting the growing energy demands of the UAE. The project aligns with the UAE government's forward-looking Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy, with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) partnering with both Taqa and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on initiatives to integrate advanced energy technologies. Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Trade Arabia
04-06-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Trojan, Samsung start work on 1,000MW Al Dhafra power plant
Abu Dhabi-based Trojan General Contracting has announced that, along with Samsung C&T, it has officially kicked off site activities for a major open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power generation plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Once operational, the Al-Dhafra OCGT project will have a generation capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW), supporting the growing energy demands of the UAE. The project aligns with the UAE government's forward-looking Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy, with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) partnering with both Taqa and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on initiatives to integrate advanced energy technologies. -TradeArabia News Service
