While Eskom has suspended loadshedding for over 100 consecutive days due to sufficient generation capacity, the issue of network overloading has resurfaced with the onset of winter.
The state-owned power utility explained that this issue is prevalent in the Eskom supply areas of Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West.
According to Eskom, about 94% of the total overloaded transformers are in these areas as a result of electricity theft and indiscriminate use of electricity.
Despite continued public information campaigns to customers about the implications of electricity theft activities, Eskom emphasised that it has no other option but to implement load reduction to protect its assets from repeated failures and explosions, which pose a risk to human lives.
“Overloaded transformers as a result of electricity theft present a serious risk to human life, we only implement load reduction as a very last resort for the shortest periods possible after all other options have been exhausted,” said Monde Bala, Group Executive for Distribution, who added that a transformer damaged by overloading can leave an area without power for up to six months, protecting Eskom’s assets is in the best interest of all South Africans.
Eskom highlighted that electricity theft activities are wide-ranging and include illegal connections, network equipment theft, vandalism, meter bypasses and tampering, unauthorised network operations, and purchasing electricity from illegal vendors.
Load reduction is a longstanding practice implemented by Eskom in specific regions when there is enough electricity available, but a transformer’s integrity is at risk due to overloading. In contrast, loadshedding occurs when the national grid is under strain, and there isn’t enough capacity to meet the electricity demand. Both measures serve as proactive steps by Eskom to safeguard human lives, protect valuable equipment, and preserve people’s livelihoods.
Overloading of the transformers is recorded mainly during peak hours around 5 am to 7 am and 5 pm to 7 pm.
Moreover, in areas where load reduction has been implemented in the past, Eskom noted that it has seen a significant reduction in equipment failure and prolonged outages. In areas where load reduction will be implemented, the relevant cluster or province will communicate with affected customers through normal channels, including SMS and Customer Connect newsletters.
Protecting Assets
Eskom explained that its electricity infrastructure is designed to handle loads based on known demand, which includes legally connected customers and actual sales for specific areas. “Exceeding these loads through electricity theft can overload the equipment, potentially causing explosions that may lead to electrical fires in the surrounding areas. Thus, overloading presents a serious risk to lives and equipment, particularly mini-substations and transformers,” elaborated the power utility.
To prevent load reduction and abrupt loss of supply, Eskom has launched the ‘Save Your Transformers, Save Lives’ campaign that urges customers to reduce their consumption, ensure that the electricity they consume is legally connected, paid for, purchased from legal vendors, and to report illegal activities.
“During the winter season, there is an exponential increase in energy demand in areas prone to electricity theft, as electricity is often used indiscriminately, leading to network failure due to extreme overloading. There are currently around 2,111 transformers which are frequently overloaded across the country at risk of being damaged, with around 900 transformers awaiting replacement,” explained the power utility.
Over time, Eskom claimed that it has invested resources and increased capacity to meet the exponential demand in these areas prone to overloading. Despite these investments, the demand has continued to grow, rendering the situation unsustainable. Eskom has been engaging with various communities, educating them on the safe and efficient use of electricity. In some areas, Eskom has removed illegal connections; however, network overloading persists.
Key Points on Load Reduction:
• Load reduction is not loadshedding.
• Load reduction is implemented in areas identified as high-risk due to increased energy consumption.
• Implementation will occur during peak hours when demand is highest.
• Communication with our customers will be maintained.
• Efforts will be made to restore full power as quickly as possible once the risk decreases.
• Customers should not report faults during load reduction periods and should treat all installations as live and dangerous.
While Eskom aims to exclude paying customers from load reduction, the network’s configuration does not allow for dedicated supply lines to paying customers, making it impractical to service them separately.
“To prevent load reduction and abrupt loss of supply, customers are urged to reduce their consumption, ensure that the electricity they consume is legally connected, paid for, and purchased from legal vendors, and to report illegal activities. Additionally, customers are encouraged to switch off non-essential appliances, such as heaters and geysers, and use alternative heating methods,” noted the state-owned power utility.
With this in mind, Eskom KZN is now set to resume load reduction to protect human life and its assets. This will see the following towns across KwaZulu-Natal impacted:
- Newcastle
- ·Vryheid
- Dannhauser
- Utrecht
- Ladysmith
- Emnambithi
- eThekwini
- Ezingoleni
- Hibiscus Coast
- Hlabisa
- Imbabazane
- Impendle
- Indaka
- Ingwe
- Mfolozi
- Maphumulo
- Mandeni
- KwaDukuzu
- Jozini
- Mkhambathini
- Mpofana
- Msinga
- Mtubatuba
- Msunduzi
- Ndwedwe
- Richmond
- Osizweni
- Okhalamba
- Ntambanana
- Nqutu
- Ulundi
- Ubuthlebezwe
- Umdono
- Umhlabuyalingana
- uMhlatuze
- uMlalazi
- Umzimkhulu
- uMvoti
- uMuziabantu
- uMshwathi
- ·uMngeni
- Umzumbe
- Vulamehlo
As Eskom now prepares to implement load reduction in Newcastle and several other towns and cities across KZN, what are your thoughts on the above? Share your views in the comment section below.
Comments 1
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