Electricity consumption dropped by 3.2% year-on-year in June, because of plant breakdowns and unscheduled maintenance (Supplied)
Electricity generated decreased by 3.7% in June compared with the corresponding period last year, according to data published by Statistics South Africa on Thursday.
Production was up by 3.6% on a month-on-month basis in June compared with May, because electricity generation decreased by 9% year-on-year in May.
The statistics agency said seasonally adjusted electricity generation decreased by 1.4% in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the first quarter of 2023.
Electricity distribution (consumption) decreased by 3.2% year-on-year in June, attributable to a drop in generation capacity on the back of plant breakdowns and unscheduled maintenance that happened during the month.
Seasonally adjusted electricity consumption decreased by 1.2% in the second quarter of 2023 compared with the first quarter of 2023.
Recently, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the government was working on “low hanging fruit” fixes to help solve the energy crisis, while planning to attract R100 billion in funding to expand generation and transmission capacity by 2025.
The minister outlined three major projects under development to supply an additional 2 300 megawatts to the grid, including a further 47 projects that will produce 37 gigawatts in the future.
Eskom said on Tuesday that, from Thursday, stage two load-shedding will be implemented from 5am until 4pm. This pattern will be implemented daily until further notice.