The increase in Eskom’s electricity availability factor, which is currently closer to 70%, is praised by
Cabinet.
This occurs when the grid has received an addition of roughly 400 MW and scheduled maintenance
has rapidly improved.

The National Air Quality Officer of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment
granted Eskom a postponement to fulfil the minimum emission limits at the Kusile Power Station in
Mpumalanga, according to the Cabinet statement made public on Thursday.
“The postponement will allow Eskom to carry out repairs on the stack that was damaged on 23
October 2022. The power utility will also construct three temporary stacks that are expected to
return 2 100 MW of power to the national grid and reduce load-shedding by two levels,” Cabinet
explained. 

The Executive has reiterated government’s commitment to the Just Energy Transition (JET) and
determination to mitigate the impact of climate change. 
The JET, established in 2020, aims to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050.
“Cabinet also thanked South Africans who continue to use electricity sparingly, especially during
peak times. Our combined energy efforts have helped bring about lower stages of load shedding.”
They further welcomed the commitments made at the New Global Financing Pact Summit held in
Paris, France, last month. 

The summit, which President Cyril Ramaphosa attended, aimed to build a new contract between the
North and the South to help address issues of climate change, development, and debt.