The government has reported that Eskom has spent R9.2 billion on diesel since the commencement of the State-owned utility's financial year on April 1. This amount is slightly below the initial budget for the period, which was set at R9.7 billion. The Presidency's Rudi Dicks shared this figure during a regular weekly update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan. Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reiterated that Eskom had always intended to utilize open-cycle gas turbines to mitigate winter load shedding.

The clarification of Eskom's diesel expenditure comes amid concerns about the allocated R30 billion for diesel in the 2023/24 financial year. This amount has been criticized as both excessive and inadequate due to the ongoing underperformance of the coal fleet and the extended outage of Koeberg Unit 1.

Dicks initially indicated that R12.4 billion had been spent on diesel up until the end of July. However, he later clarified that this figure included electricity purchases from private open-cycle gas turbines, and Eskom's actual year-to-date diesel spending stood at R9.2 billion.

Ramokgopa utilized the presentation to provide more detailed insights into the performance of individual coal stations. He expressed optimism that Koeberg Unit 1 would be back in operation by November 3, ahead of the Unit 2 outage, which is scheduled to begin on November 7.

The Minister presented a breakdown of three clusters of coal stations. The first cluster, including Medupi, Lethabo, Camden, Duvha, and Majuba, consistently achieved an energy availability factor (EAF) of over 60%. The second cluster, consisting of Matla, Arnot, Kendal, and Kriel, had an EAF ranging from 40% to 59%, and efforts were focused on enhancing their performance. The third cluster encompassed Hendrina, Grootvlei, Kusile, and Tutuka, with an EAF remaining below 40%. Tutuka operated at an EAF of just 13% in July, and only one Kusile unit was operational due to a flue duct collapse in October the previous year.

Ramokgopa reiterated the goal of recovering 6,000 MW of capacity from the coal fleet relative to the lows of May. He reported that around 2,000 MW of that capacity had already been restored. Eskom's generation head, Bheki Nxumalo, highlighted that the primary focus was to bring Unit 1 of the Koeberg nuclear station back into operation, with any consequences resulting from the delays to follow after the unit's restoration. The major work related to replacing the unit's three steam generators had been completed, and the current focus was on routine maintenance tasks.