JOHANNESBURG – Power utility Eskom is undergoing the most significant technology reset in its 104-year history.
Load shedding involves an estimated economic production loss of R1 billion per stage per day, and the risks could not be higher.
Speaking at the Huawei South Africa Connect 2026 event in Sandton, Eskom Group Chief Technology and Information Officer Len de Villiers set out a bold vision for how the company is leveraging artificial intelligence, drones and strategic partnerships to secure the country's energy future.
AI: From efficiency to survival
“For us, AI is not just about efficiency, it’s about survival,” de Villiers told the audience at the Sandton Convention Center.
“This country is going to need more electricity every day for many years to come. I believe that even if we could keep all our power plants running and running at maximum capacity, do our best with nuclear power, and implement a green energy strategy, we would still need more electricity.”
Eskom employs 42,000 people across 18 divisions, supplies 90% of South Africa's electricity as well as 30% of the rest of Africa, and is employing AI in six key areas.
These include customer engagement and call center automation, smarter operations with predictive maintenance and cybersecurity threat detection, AI infrastructure, talent and skills management, workforce optimization, and energy trading analytics.
The utility currently has over 220 pilot business use cases underway and includes 20 active AI initiatives across eight business areas.
De Villiers emphasized a disciplined approach to AI deployment. Every AI agent or bot must have a business case with a clear return on investment and demonstrable value in revenue, service, or productivity gains.
“If the business case lacks these three, the pilot will not proceed,” he said.
Drones: Focus on the 33,369-kilometre grid
One of Eskom's most visible technology deployments is the use of drones to inspect vast transmission infrastructure.
The utility, which has more than 33,369 kilometers of transmission lines across the country, is turning to drone technology to replace expensive helicopter inspections.
“Power lines are required by law to be maintained to identify problems before they occur, and that's where drones come in,” said Siyanda Biera, Eskom's chief research engineer.
Drones enable more frequent inspections, collect more data from the field, and enable faster repairs.
De Villiers confirmed that drone and AI surveillance is already in place and actively supporting maintenance teams.
“We are currently working on the use of drones and AI surveillance through these drones.
“It's happening and it's helping our maintenance team identify problems, take pictures of failures, and let us know what needs to be replaced and how to get there in time.”
Partnership with Huawei: Building a modernization center
Eskom's technology transformation is being accelerated through a strategic partnership with Huawei.
The companies recently launched the Eskom & Huawei Modernization Center in Johannesburg, marking an important milestone for South Africa's digital power future.
The center will showcase Huawei's ICT capabilities in power transmission and distribution communication networks, intelligent substations, intelligent power distribution systems, enterprise digitalization, and grid-forming energy storage.
It will also feature a dedicated smart classroom powered by Huawei solutions, providing Eskom employees and South African youth with specialized training in power ICT, smart grids, cybersecurity and digital operations.
A joint statement from the companies said: “Huawei's support has helped enable the transformation of the Eskom Learning Academy, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Eskom's learning, innovation and modernization journey.”
This partnership is already bearing fruit.
Eskom's intelligent substation project with Huawei is currently in the development stage, with Huawei using digital technology to accurately sense production data in the energy sector and optimize production processes.
IT and OT: Forced marriage for security
Mr De Villiers highlighted another key aspect of Eskom's transformation – the convergence of IT and operational technology (OT).
“Traditionally, IT and OT have been separate, but now they need to work together under a single cybersecurity strategy,” he said.
This integration was primarily driven by cybersecurity concerns.
“Cybersecurity has almost become a forced marriage, and IT and OT have to join hands and start collaborating, planning, coordinating, and planning for the cybersecurity strategies needed internally to prevent attacks in the form of ransom malware and other attacks.”
The future of smart meters and customer service
Eskom is also modernizing the customer experience through the introduction of smart meters.
With more than 500,000 smart meters already installed, the utility is 35% of its final stage goal.
Smart meters provide real-time visibility into consumption patterns and enable two-way energy interaction.
“We deploy a two-way energy interaction system to ensure we understand what is happening in our customers' environments,” De Villiers explained.
The utility is moving to an integrated virtual credit system similar to phone airtime loads, making electricity loads seamless for prepaid customers.
From legacy grid to self-healing infrastructure
Eskom's digitalization journey progresses in stages from a legacy grid to a digitized grid to an intelligent grid and ultimately a self-healing grid.
De Villiers noted that the utility is actively retiring legacy systems and replacing them with cutting-edge solutions on both the IT and OT sides.
The challenges are immense.
“Never in my short career have I faced a challenge so big, so complex, so impactful,” de Villiers admitted.
“This is the biggest challenge and most impactful of my career.”
Green energy and transition
As South Africa moves away from coal, Eskom Green is preparing for a future where wind, solar, gas and nuclear power become increasingly viable.
The company is deploying technology to address coal-fired power plant emissions and is piloting an off-grid solution with Matipa Smart Village, a standalone prototype combining solar power with battery storage and smart meters serving 700 homes.
A disciplined approach to AI
De Villiers offered practical advice to his fellow technology leaders. “If you have 40,000 or 50,000 employees in your company and you want to deploy AI, I don't recommend giving them 50,000 AI licenses tomorrow.
“Step by step, start with knowledge workers, skilled people, people who can build use cases, people who can build and create pilots.”
He emphasized the importance of establishing AI policies, AI risk registries, and giving people the freedom to experiment within defined guardrails.
“If people are excited about AI, play with it, get them used to it, and give them guidance.
“We set AI policies, we set rules, we have AI risk registries, but we give them the freedom to address opportunities.”
Eskom's transformation is not just a technology update, but a fundamental shift from a one-way, reactive utility to a two-way, intelligent energy partner.
Through AI, drones, smart meters and a strategic partnership with Huawei, Eskom is building the foundation for a more reliable, efficient and sustainable energy future for South Africa.
Mr de Villiers concludes: “Sustainable electricity supports economic growth, reduces poverty and improves living standards.
“Eskom continues to play a vital role in changing people's lives through its significant contribution to the South African economy.”
*This article was first published in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za.
