Eskom’s big breakdown problem 

Energy analyst Chris Yelland and Professor Anton Eberhard have highlighted Eskom’s declining energy availability factor (EAF), which measures the percentage of time the power station is available for use.  

The average EAF for Eskom has dropped from 70% in 2019 to around 54% in 2023, indicating a shortage of generation power. Load-shedding has been implemented as a result.  

Eskom aims to improve the EAF to 70% by 2025, but Yelland and Eberhard argue that the recent short-term improvement is not indicative of a long-term trend. They emphasize the need for Eskom to address the ageing power station fleet and perform increased maintenance to prevent breakdowns. 

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