Eskom's overhaul.
State-owned power utility Eskom does not expect to have to institute ‘load shedding’ (power outages) during the current nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, with demand for electricity dropping by as much as 9,500 megawatts since it began. Recurring load shedding has been required since January as Eskom struggles with capacity constraints and undertakes crucial plant maintenance, with Pretoria promising various measures to alleviate the energy production crisis.
With uncertainty rampant given the lockdown and economic crisis, recent short-to-medium term energy projections may fall by the wayside.
Eskom’s belated 'unbundling' is finally underway, with CEOs named for the transmission, distribution and generation subsidiaries.
Ongoing policy and legislative uncertainty will further dampen confidence in Pretoria’s reform commitments among the country’s miners.
