{"id":21872,"date":"2025-08-11T11:22:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T09:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=21872"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:03:59","slug":"eskom-spends-r6-billion-on-diesel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/eskom-spends-r6-billion-on-diesel\/","title":{"rendered":"Eskom Spends Nearly R6 Billion on Diesel to Prevent Winter Load Shedding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Eskom, South Africa\u2019s national electricity utility, has spent nearly <strong>R6 billion on diesel fuel<\/strong> from April to early August 2025 to power emergency diesel generators. This expenditure is part of Eskom\u2019s efforts to maintain electricity supply and prevent load shedding during the challenging winter months when demand peaks and coal shortages persist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELEVANT ARTICLE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/gauteng-power-cuts-load-reduction-loadshedding\/\">Gauteng Power Cuts Explained: Load Reduction and Load Shedding Compared<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#why-diesel-is-used-to-prevent-load-shedding\" data-level=\"2\">Why Diesel is Used to Prevent Load Shedding<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#recent-diesel-spending-and-load-shedding-status\" data-level=\"2\">Recent Diesel Spending and Load Shedding Status<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#the-cost-and-economic-impact-of-diesel-usage\" data-level=\"2\">The Cost and Economic Impact of Diesel Usage<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#diesel-spending-over-recent-years\" data-level=\"2\">Diesel Spending Over Recent Years<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#environmental-and-fiscal-concerns\" data-level=\"2\">Environmental and Fiscal Concerns<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#steps-toward-energy-recovery\" data-level=\"2\">Steps Toward Energy Recovery<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#what-lies-ahead\" data-level=\"2\">What Lies Ahead<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-diesel-is-used-to-prevent-load-shedding\">Why Diesel is Used to Prevent Load Shedding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africa\u2019s power grid relies heavily on coal-fired power stations, many of which have faced operational challenges causing reduced availability. To stabilize the grid and meet peak electricity demand, Eskom uses open-cycle gas turbines (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/structural-performance-change-continues-to-deliver-ongoing-suspension-of-loadshedding-for-over-nine-months-to-support-socio-economic-growth-diesel-usage-remains-below-the-year-to-date-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OCGTs<\/a>) powered by diesel as emergency backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While diesel-powered generation is expensive and environmentally taxing, it is a critical short-term measure to avoid load shedding: the planned, rolling power outages used to balance supply and demand during generation shortfalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2300725605\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"recent-diesel-spending-and-load-shedding-status\">Recent Diesel Spending and Load Shedding Status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From 1 April to 7 August 2025, Eskom\u2019s diesel spending remained within the allocated budget, reaching nearly <strong>R6 billion<\/strong>. This was confirmed in Eskom\u2019s winter outlook report published in May 2025. The strategic use of diesel generators helped Eskom keep the lights on while reducing the need for load shedding during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Gauteng News Image\" class=\"wp-image-21881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-150x84.png 150w, https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742-450x253.png 450w, https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/gauteng-image-1754902742.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sabcnews.com\/sabcnews\/infographic-eskom-spends-r200m-in-7-days-on-diesel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SABC News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite this, Eskom\u2019s Energy Availability Factor (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/eskom-marks-its-longest-stretch-of-uninterrupted-power-supply-in-five-years-with-loadshedding-suspended-for-240-consecutive-days-and-diesel-savings-amounting-to-r16-33-billion-year-on-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EAF<\/a>), a key measure of power station performance, remained below the government\u2019s 70% target, indicating ongoing challenges in coal generation reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-cost-and-economic-impact-of-diesel-usage\">The Cost and Economic Impact of Diesel Usage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Diesel-fired power is significantly more expensive than coal or nuclear generation. For context, diesel generation costs Eskom about <strong>R6,579 per MWh<\/strong>, compared to R541 per MWh for coal and R113 per MWh for nuclear power. This means diesel generation costs over 12 times more than coal-based electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Nuclear Expansion | We have experienced cost overruns in the past: Makoma Lekalakala\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YQKV2PJZKMI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/YQKV2PJZKMI?si=Z_VFRVsaz78fra3B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/eskom-maintains-power-system-stability-with-a-reduction-in-unplanned-outages-sustained-3-280mw-to-return-ahead-of-monday-evening-peak-to-stabilise-grid-further\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">April 2025<\/a> alone, Eskom burned around R3.6 billion worth of diesel, illustrating the financial strain brought by relying on costly diesel to keep the grid stable. This spending places pressure on Eskom\u2019s finances and, by extension, on South African taxpayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2259646522\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"diesel-spending-over-recent-years\">Diesel Spending Over Recent Years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Eskom\u2019s diesel expenditure has been rising sharply over the past five years. Between 2020 and 2024, Eskom spent roughly <strong>R64.78 billion<\/strong> on diesel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>R5.8 billion in 2020<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>R5.75 billion in 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>R8.6 billion in 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>R21.25 billion in 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>R23.38 billion in 2024<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This escalation underscores the ongoing energy crisis and Eskom\u2019s reliance on diesel-powered OCGTs to evade load shedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"environmental-and-fiscal-concerns\">Environmental and Fiscal Concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The heavy reliance on diesel generators generates environmental concerns due to high carbon emissions. Moreover, the exorbitant cost of diesel electricity raises questions about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/power-system-remains-stable-with-over-half-of-the-coal-fired-power-stations-performing-at-an-eaf-of-70-and-above-3-075mw-to-return-ahead-of-monday-evening-peak-to-stabilise-the-grid-further\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long-term<\/a> sustainability of Eskom\u2019s emergency generation strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.actionsa.org.za\/eskom-burns-billions-on-diesel-amid-south-africas-pressing-fiscal-challenges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Critics argue<\/a> that the high diesel spend is a costly \u201ccover-up\u201d that masks Eskom\u2019s inability to reliably generate electricity from its coal plants. They call for urgent investments in coal plant maintenance and renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on expensive diesel generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1030888203\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"steps-toward-energy-recovery\">Steps Toward Energy Recovery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Eskom continues to implement its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanews.gov.za\/south-africa\/energy-action-plan-eskom-generation-operational-recovery-bearing-fruit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Generation Recovery Plan<\/a>, aiming to improve coal plant performance and reduce diesel dependency. Recent milestones include commissioning new coal units and planned maintenance programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Diesel usage is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/power-system-remains-stable-grid-strengthening-efforts-continue-with-a-total-of-2-450mw-planned-to-be-returned-to-service-in-preparation-for-the-coming-week\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expected to<\/a> decline as more units return to service from long-term repairs and maintenance activities are reduced, increasing available generation capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Winter Outlook, published on 5 May 2025, covering the period ending 31 August 2025, remains valid. It indicates that loadshedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, loadshedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to Stage 2.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Year-on-year diesel savings of over <strong>R16 billion<\/strong> were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/loadshedding-remains-suspended-r16-69-billion-in-year-on-year-diesel-savings-achieved-ongoing-high-levels-of-planned-maintenance-continue\/#:~:text=Loadshedding%20remains%20suspended:%20R16.,of%20planned%20maintenance%20continue%20%2D%20Eskom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported by<\/a> the end of 2024, as some improvements allowed less reliance on diesel generators. However, diesel use remains essential during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/eskom-maintains-power-system-stability-with-reduced-unplanned-outages-additional-3-330mw-capacity-expected-to-return-by-monday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">current peak periods<\/a> and winter 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-lies-ahead\">What Lies Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As South Africa approaches winter and faces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.co.za\/news\/eskom-burns-nearly-r6-billion-diesel-during-winter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heightened power demand<\/a>, Eskom\u2019s diesel spending is expected to continue playing a crucial role in preventing load shedding. However, this short-term solution highlights the urgent need for faster renewable energy integration, coal plant rehabilitation, and grid infrastructure improvements to achieve sustainable, affordable electricity supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The government and Eskom are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eskom.co.za\/power-system-remains-stable-with-a-reduction-in-unplanned-outages-sustained-3-960mw-to-return-ahead-of-monday-evening-peak-to-stabilise-grid-further\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">under pressure<\/a> to present a credible, time-bound recovery plan that reduces diesel dependency, cuts costs, and secures reliable power for the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"City Power and Eskom reach debt settlement deal\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h_guHZNytQ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/h_guHZNytQ4?si=BdjybHoAX3kdS72u\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eskom spent nearly R6 billion on diesel from April to August 2025 to prevent winter load shedding. This article explains the high costs, operational challenges, and ongoing efforts to stabilize South Africa\u2019s power grid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Eskom spent nearly R6 billion on diesel from April to August 2025 to prevent winter load shedding. This article explains the high costs, operational challenges, and ongoing efforts to stabilize South Africa\u2019s power grid.","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[1616,2525,343,2902,345,5756,3735],"class_list":{"0":"post-21872","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-diesel-prices","9":"tag-electricity","10":"tag-eskom","11":"tag-load-reduction","12":"tag-load-shedding","13":"tag-power-supply","14":"tag-renewable-energy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21872"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21888,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21872\/revisions\/21888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}