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No end in sight for load shedding: The power crisis in numbers

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan told a media briefing on Tuesday that government and Eskom are doing the best they can to solve the load shedding crisis. 

He appealed to South Africans to reduce demand for electricity as the country enters its fifth consecutive day of rotational blackouts. 

Gordhan promised to improve communication around load shedding, admitting not enough had been done enough to inform people about the situation.

He also acknowledged the impact the power cuts have had on businesses, the economy and households.

These are some of the key numbers in terms of the power crisis:

10-14

The number of days the technical task team, appointed last week, and other experts have to review the issues at specific power stations. By then, Gordhan says, he would have more information about the causes behind the crisis and how much longer load shedding is likely to last.

20 - 25 million

The number of litres of diesel Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe says the power utility can burn through within three weeks, depending on the frequency of units tripping. Diesel is used as an emergency and costly measure while coal-fired generators are repaired. There are currently no diesel supplies in SA, except for cars and small utilities, according to Hadebe.

R600m

The amount Eskom is allowed to spend on diesel for emergency supplies per year, according to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The power utility is in discussions with the regulator to increase this amount, says Eskom chairperson Jabu Mabuza. 

37 

The average age in years of Eskom's power fleet. Some power stations are 50 years old and are still generating electricity. The ageing fleet is partly the cause for the frequent breakdowns. The new power stations, Medupi and Kusile are unable to run at the capacity they were meant to due to serious design flaws, cost overruns and delays.

R50bn

The amount that Hadebe says the power utility has budgeted for maintenance over the next five years.

48 000

Eskom has installed capacity of 48 000 megawatts but only about 28 000 has been available in recent days due to system breakdowns and the tropical cyclone Idai which affected Mozambique and impacted SA's power supply. SA imports 1 150 megawatts of electricity from the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric generation station from the neighbouring country. Transmission lines and pylons were damaged in the storm. 

3 000

The number of employees Gordhan says have business ties to the power utility. He said there was a clear pattern at state owned entities (SOEs) including Eskom, where money for maintenance was shifted to capital expenditure as part of “State Capture”. He promised that further information will be revealed in the next few months and there will be accountability.

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