What is Eskom?

Eskom is a South African state-owned electricity supplier, serving over 50 million customers across the country. They generate, transmit, and distribute electricity, playing a crucial role in the country's economy and infrastructure.

What they do:

• Generate electricity: Eskom operates a diverse fleet of power stations, including coal, nuclear, hydro, and renewable energy sources.
• Transmit electricity: They have an extensive transmission network covering the entire country.
• Distribute electricity: Eskom supplies electricity directly to municipalities and large industrial users, while smaller distributors handle residential and commercial customers.

Current challenges

• Aging infrastructure: Many of Eskom's power plants are nearing the end of their lifespan, leading to breakdowns and reduced generation capacity.
• Financial difficulties: Eskom has accumulated significant debt and faces financial challenges, impacting its ability to invest in new infrastructure and maintenance.
• Load shedding: To cope with electricity shortages, Eskom implements load shedding, which involves planned power cuts to different areas across the country.

Initiatives for improvement

• Renewable energy: Eskom is investing in renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to diversify its energy mix and reduce reliance on coal.
• Maintenance and refurbishment: They are working to improve the maintenance of existing power plants and refurbish older facilities.
• Cost-cutting measures: Eskom is implementing measures to reduce costs and improve financial sustainability.