Progress on Eskom’s proposed Short-Term Power Purchase Programme, initiated to help limit load-shedding while the State-owned utility implements a so-called reliability maintenance programme across its coal fleet over the coming 18 months, is being seriously retarded by South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown. The bidding deadline for the programme, which is led by Eskom’s GM for energy planning and market development, Callie Fabricius, was initially extended from April 30 to May 11. It was then further extended to July 2 at the request of the National Treasury.
