Energy Availability Factor

April 29, 2025 00:02:17
Energy Availability Factor
ESI Africa Podcast
Energy Availability Factor

Apr 29 2025 | 00:02:17

/

Show Notes

Energy Expert Vally Padayachee explains the importance of the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) and why South Africans need to pay attention to this metric when trying to understand loadshedding.

View Full Transcript

Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Hello everyone. I'm Professor Vali Pariaci, a power and energy expert and today I want to address an important metric that all South Africans should be aware of. That is the Energy Availability Factor, or EAF as it is commonly referred to. Very simply, the EAF represents the difference between maximum availability and all unavailability expressed as a percentage. It excludes the planned capacity loss factor or pclf, the unplanned capacity loss factor or UCLF and the other capacity loss factor or oclf. Notably, and to mitigate certain risks, this definition excludes renewable energy sources, ipps and international power imports. The EAF is a crucial indicator of the reliability and efficiency of of our electricity supply. A IEAF means that more of our power plants are functioning optimally, which translates to reliable electricity for homes, businesses and industries. To stop load shedding completely in South Africa, the EAF should be at minimum plus or minus 70%. And to revert to comfortable lives, the EAF should be at minimum plus or minus 80%. So why should South Africans pay attention to the EAF? We've all felt the debilitating effects of load shedding and energy shortages since 2008 and especially the last few years. [00:01:32] Currently, Eskom's actual EAF performance is poor and stands at 55% for the financial year 2024, 61% for the financial year 2025, with projections to improve to 66% in 2025, aiming for 68% in 2027, ultimately targeting 70%. In the long term, monitoring the EAF helps us track the effectiveness of these targets and investments in infrastructure improvements. In summary, the EAF is not just a technical term, it's a vital metric that impacts our daily lives of economy and the future of energy in South Africa. I thank you.

Other Episodes

Episode 1

May 04, 2020 00:51:24
Episode Cover

Renewables vs. Coal

Does coal have a place in Southern Africa's future energy mix? Listen to the engaging debate around a question at the heart of Africa's...

Listen

Episode

January 20, 2023 00:38:18
Episode Cover

Bioenergy offers Africa an abundant and sustainable power source

Listen as ESI Africa speaks to Simon Ighofose, co-founder and CEO of bioenergy tech start-up PyroGenesys which has developed a waste-to-energy system to generate...

Listen

Episode 4

April 23, 2020 00:58:19
Episode Cover

Financing onsite power for the C&I market.

Don’t let finance hinder you from generating your own power. It is a fact that businesses take a hard knock when power cuts become...

Listen