Mbabane – The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) has ramped up its investment in strengthening the national power grid, allocating E201 million in the 2024/25 financial year.
This marks a rise from last year’s E195 million, according to the utility’s newly released annual report.
According to the report, the investment is part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the network, enhance power quality and curb unplanned outages that have historically undermined business confidence. The funds were directed toward transmission operations, system control and the maintenance of critical infrastructure.
Despite these investments, the report highlights several operational and financial challenges that continue to threaten long-term sustainability. These include constrained working capital, safety incidents and limited tariff adjustments that have hindered EEC’s ability to fully recover operational costs.
EEC reported a marked improvement in energy efficiency, with transmission losses dropping from 9.96 per cent to 5.18 per cent.
“Despite the higher cost base, line efficiency improved, most notably in energy losses,” the report states.
The utility notes that reducing losses is central to revenue retention, cost management and system reliability. The improvement, according to the report, reflects enhanced engineering practices, more robust maintenance schedules and continued investment in grid optimisation.
The report states that voltage stability also improved, reaching 96 per cent, an encouraging development, though still below regional best practice.
“Sustained stability is critical to industrial users, who rely on predictable power quality for manufacturing operations and equipment safety,” the report notes.
The report also reveals that several risks previously considered theoretical materialised during the financial year, the most serious being loss of life linked to unsafe operations. EEC acknowledges the urgent need for deeper investment in occupational safety.
Fatalities in the utility sector are often associated with ageing infrastructure, inadequate training and weak enforcement of safety protocols. The company warns that such incidents not only affect the workforce but also erode public trust and increase insurance costs.
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