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Eskom’s journey towards rolling out prepaid smart meters — a critical part of eradicating load reduction — is gathering pace in the remaining provinces affected by it, although progress in Gauteng is lagging.
Eskom told Business Times this week that, as far as areas where load reduction was implemented, as of September 11, Eskom has installed 513,022 prepaid smart meters against a target of 577,347 in the load-reduction feeders.
“This has benefited a total of 1,222,430 customers, who have been removed from the load-reduction schedule nationally, representing 72% of the programme target of 1,694,388 customers.”
This week, Eskom chair Mteto Nyati told Business Times that seven of the country’s nine provinces are now load-reduction free, except KwaZulu-Natal, where moderate progress is being made in the installation of prepaid smart meters, and Gauteng, where progress is low.
“It is much more difficult in Gauteng and in KZN. Very difficult. I have not done the research [on why]. All we know is that we’re getting much more resistance [in Gauteng and KZN] than in other provinces.”
Eskom said load reduction continues to be implemented in areas where electricity networks are at risk of overloading because of very high demand, illegal connections, meter bypasses, infrastructure constraints and elevated levels of non-technical losses.
“If progress is hampered, Eskom will continue to experience equipment failure, and this may also present a possible safety risk to the public. Every delayed installation delays the benefits. Eskom therefore calls on customers and communities to support the smart meter rollout to help improve electricity supply and accelerate the removal of load reduction in affected areas.”
The power utility said the objective was to protect network infrastructure from damage and prevent prolonged outages. Smart metering allows Eskom to explore the granular details per customer usage rather than at the feeder level, as load reduction is aimed at the customer level.
“[Those who] are no longer impacted by load reduction… include 670,785 customers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga; 29,812 in the Eastern and Western Cape; 202,703 in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State out of a target of 298,150; and 50,228 in the North West and Northern Cape and 268,902 in Gauteng out of a target of 632,158.”
A total of 571 feeders have been removed from load reduction, representing about 59% of the 971 target. Eskom said 163 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga had been removed, exceeding the target of 150, with both provinces achieving full elimination of load reduction.
Eskom said 244 feeders in Gauteng had been removed, representing 40.4% of the target of 604. Meanwhile, 14 feeders had been removed in the Eastern and Western Cape, representing 100% of the target, with both provinces achieving full elimination.
In KwaZulu-Natal, 135 feeders, or 67.4% of the target, had been removed, while the Free State had achieved full elimination. In the North West and Northern Cape, 15 feeders had been removed, exceeding the target of nine, with both provinces achieving full elimination.
Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told parliament in a written reply to questions from DA MP Kevin Mileham that Eskom has commenced the installation of smart meters, the removal of illegal connections, and the auditing of meters.
“These interventions are supported by community engagement initiatives and media campaigns aimed at raising public awareness of the root causes of load reduction and the measures required to eliminate it. To date, 505,607 smart meters have been installed on load-reduction feeders, reaching 87.5% of the 577,347 target for high-priority areas.”
About 81% of these installations are concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, where network pressure is highest. The rollout remains focused on high-loss areas impacted by illegal connections, infrastructure overloading and electricity theft, he said.
“Despite ongoing stakeholder engagement, including work with ward councillors, public meetings and media platforms, resistance in some areas continues to affect progress. These include safety incidents, intimidation, and work stoppages, resulting in delays, with more than 122,000 planned installations impacted to date.”
Ramokgopa said that although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist in certain localised areas, causing infrastructure damage and posing serious safety risks.
Business Times
Khulekani Magubane
www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za
