In a media call on Sunday, Makwana warned that South Africans should expect continuous stage 2 to stage 3 power cuts for the next 24 months. “We want to create some predictability,” Makwana said. “Shuttling from one stage to the other is never good.”
Makwana added that this permanent load-shedding would form part of Eskom’s plan to increase its Energy Availability Factor (EAF) to a point where it could stop load-shedding within the next 24 months. “The global average for EAF is about 86%. We’re looking to grow from our current 58% EAF to 70% in the next two years,” said Makwana.
The planned journey to 70% is hoped to take place on the following timeline:
- 60% EAF — end-March 2023
- 65% EAF — end-March 2024
- 70% EAF — end-March 2025
