Power utility Eskom has installed just over 73 500 smart meters – roughly an eighth of its target – as it races to eliminate load reduction by March 2027.
In a recent statement, Eskom said more than 90% of the 73 523 smart meters have been installed in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
It aims to connect 577 347 meters by March 2026, with full completion expected in 2027 to reach 1.69 million customers.
“Current progress stands at approximately 12.73% of the overall target, and installations continue steadily to ensure the programme’s milestones are achieved,” it says.
Load reduction, implemented in areas with high levels of illegal connections and meter tampering, limits electricity supply to prevent loss of life and infrastructure damage as people steal power while lines remain live.
Eskom lost R30 billion in revenue due to electricity theft in the form of illegal connections and meter tampering in the most recent financial year.
Rolling out smart meters to end load reduction by 2027 forms part of Eskom’s broader rollout of 6.2 million smart meters two years after that.
However, the intelligent metering programme has faced scrutiny. Last October, Eskom couldn’t tell Parliament how much the overall 6.2 million smart meter rollout would cost, hadn’t finalised procurement, and didn’t have all meters in stock.
Despite this, senior executive Collin Reddy expressed confidence the utility would meet its target of installing 577 347 meters by March 2026.
Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in October that “smart meters will enable real-time management of network demand, detection of energy theft and improved customer load balancing”.
Smart meters provide two-way visibility into electricity consumption, alerting Eskom to illegal use and enabling the utility to investigate tampering, repair damaged infrastructure and involve law enforcement where appropriate.
On its website, Eskom explains that excessive electricity use from illegal connections overloads transformers, causing explosions that result in prolonged outages lasting days, leaving homes, businesses and traffic lights without power.
“This leaves Eskom with no choice but to implement load reduction for a few hours a day in the affected areas, to protect the transformers and ensure continuous supply of electricity.”
Ramokgopa also told the NCOP that his department is collaborating with municipalities to strengthen enforcement against illegal connections, implement community education programmes on safe electricity use and introduce rapid response maintenance teams to prevent vandalism and theft.
The utility’s annual report indicates smart meters are among plans to improve revenue collection and address energy losses.
In mid-October, Eskom turned a profit for the first time in eight years, with chairman Mteto Nyati telling ITWeb the utility had “turned the corner”. He attributed the turnaround to the end of load shedding, lower diesel costs and reduced debt.
Eskom reported profit before tax of R23.9 billion, to be invested back into critical infrastructure and energy security. The board is now focused on reducing electricity costs, aiming to cut R112 billion over five years and align future price increases more closely with inflation.
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