Coal and diesel fired plans to keep Eskom operational - an unsustainable future

Eskom said in its latest results that using diesel for additional electricity supply is necessary but unsustainable, as the utility spent around R30 billion on diesel in the 2023 financial year.

Eskom interim CEO Calib Cassim said the 2023 financial results reflect the company’s challenging operational performance.

The utility’s energy availability factor worsened from 62.02% to 56.03% in 2023 due to generation supply constraints and shortfall from the IPP programmes.

To make up for supply constraints, Eskom used its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) and, therefore, burned diesel.

In 2023, diesel production sources accounted for 19% of Eskom’s total cost but only 2% of total production.

“Use of diesel is necessary but unsustainable,” the utility said in its results presentation on Tuesday.

Eskom said it had to rely on diesel this much in 2023 due to supply constraints at its coal plants.

Its coal plants were impacted by frequent breakdowns, “requiring higher use of diesel and fuel oil for unit start-up procedures and combustion support”.

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