MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

How Much is Eskom Losing in Turnover During Loadshedding?

By

  • Is a figure of R130 Million too low or too high?
  • Is this sustainable when a business is already in crisis?

We are all familiar with the fact that loadshedding is expensive – for the country, its economy and our global reputation. We aslo need to stop and consider just how much loadshedding costs the every inept Eskom every month in lost turnover.

Think of Electricity as an ephemeral time based product – you either lose it or use it and can never really ‘catch up’ your consumption once it is lost. Have you tried making your lights burn twice as bright after loadshedding or your pool pump work twice as fast? What is lost is lost forever. “This is a lot like what happens when you install Solar PV on your roof – what you do not use as self consumption or to charge storage devices is lost to the grid or to heat,” says Straton Solar.

Straton Solar
Chat to the ‘installers’ installer Straton Solar

Eskom has a bewildering number of tariffs for different electricity supplies making an accurate estimate of Eskoms charges per kWh a bit of a thumbsuck. Suffice to say that if one looks at charges to Local Authorities those range from 80.27 c/kWh (for Off Peak) to 488.82 c/kWh for Peak.

During January so far (daily figures below) Eskom has shed 89 932 MW of electricity due to loadshedding. That is equal to 89 932 000 kWh.

Lets ASSUME that the average price per kWh that Eskom charges (to direct and municipal customers) is in the region of R1.45 per kWh.

Contrast that with what the South African consumer pays on average which is estimated at R2.56 kWh.

Let’s take the amount of kWh shed in the month of January (89.932 Million) and times that by R1.45 (our ESTIMATED average price charged by Eskom for Electricity) and we get a LOST TURNOVER figure for Eskom of R130 401 400.

Can any business afford to lose R130 Million in turnover month after month?

Factor in the bloated salary bill, fraud, failed maintenance, uncertain futures for employees, political bosses with no clue and zero motivation I would say that Eskom is on the final slope to becoming a pimple in history. Frankly even renewables will not be able to fill that gap fast enough to provide electricity as we used to know it before loadshedding.

Date and Amount of Electricity shed (MW)

  • 09 January: 3,371
  • 10 January: 3,527
  • 11 January: 5,088
  • 12 January: 6,409
  • 13 January: 5,124
  • 14 January: 4,82
  • 15 January: 4,81
  • 16 January: 5,594
  • 17 January: 4,666
  • 18 January: 4,723
  • 19 January: 4,736
  • 20 January: 3,581
  • 21 January: 2,576
  • 22 January: 3,503
  • 23 January: 3,821
  • 24 January: 3,703
  • 25 January: 3,762
  • 26 January: 5,891
  • 27 January: 3,592
  • 28 January: 3,228
  • 29 January: 3,407

TOTAL: 89,932 MW

Maybe it is time to trade in that 4×4 to buy a 5×5 Solar System rather.

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on How Much is Eskom Losing in Turnover During Loadshedding? here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StratonElectrical/

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Press Release Views since 1 July 2022: 135

Source

Go On – Share the Gqeberha Love!

Views Since 15 July 2022: 6

Gqeberha’s Latest News and Events can be accessed on MyGqeberha.com.

The following two tabs change content below.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Flickr profileMy Pinterest profile

Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.