Johannesburg – Power utility, Eskom, is undergoing one of the most significant technology resets in its 104-year history.
With load shedding costing an estimated R1 billion per stage per day in lost economic output, the stakes 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 laid out a bold vision for how the utility is harnessing artificial intelligence, drones and strategic partnerships to secure the nation’s energy future.
AI: From Efficiency to Survival
“For us, AI is not just about efficiency—it is about survival,” De Villiers told the audience at the Sandton Convention Centre.
“The country needs more power every day for many years to come. Even if we could fire and keep all our power stations running at maximum, do our best with nuclear, and implement our green energy strategy, I believe we will still need more power.”
Eskom, which employs 42,000 people across 18 divisions and provides 90% of South Africa’s electricity while also supplying 30% of the rest of Africa, is embracing AI across six key areas.
These include customer engagement and call centre automation, smart operations with predictive maintenance and cybersecurity threat detection, AI infrastructure, talent and skills management, workforce optimisation, and energy trading analytics.
The utility currently has more than 220 pilot business use cases in motion, with 20 active AI initiatives spanning eight business areas.
De Villiers emphasised 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 improvement.
“If those three are missing in your business case, then that pilot shall not continue,” he stated.
Drones: Eyes on 33,369 Kilometres of Grid
One of Eskom’s most visible technology deployments is the use of drones to inspect its vast transmission infrastructure.
With over 33 369 kilometres of transmission lines across the country, the utility has turned to drone technology to replace expensive helicopter inspections.
“Power lines are statutorily required to be maintained to identify issues beforehand—that’s where drones come in,” said Siyanda Biyela, Eskom’s chief research engineer.
The drones allow for more frequent inspections, collecting more data from the field and enabling faster repairs.
De Villiers confirmed that drone and AI monitoring is already happening and actively assisting maintenance teams.
“The use of drones and AI monitoring via these drones is something we are working on right now.
“It’s happening, and it’s assisting our maintenance teams to identify problems, take photographs of failures, tell us what needs to be replaced, and how to get there in time.”
The Huawei Partnership: Building a Modernisation Centre
Eskom’s technology transformation is being accelerated through its strategic partnership with Huawei.
The two companies recently launched the Eskom & Huawei Modernisation Centre in Johannesburg, marking a significant milestone in South Africa’s digital power future.
The centre showcases Huawei’s ICT capabilities in transmission and distribution communication networks, intelligent substations, intelligent distribution systems, enterprise digitalisation, and grid-forming energy storage.
It also features a dedicated smart classroom powered by Huawei’s solutions, providing specialised training for Eskom employees and South African youth in power ICT, smart grids, cybersecurity, and digital operations.
“Huawei’s support has been instrumental in enabling the transformation of the Eskom Academy of Learning, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Eskom’s learning, innovation, and modernisation journey,” reads a joint statement from the two companies.
The partnership is already delivering results.
Eskom’s intelligent substation project with Huawei is currently in the development phase, with Huawei using digital technologies to accurately sense production data in the energy sector and optimise production processes.
IT and OT: A Forced Marriage for Security
De Villiers highlighted another critical dimension of Eskom’s transformation: the convergence of IT and operational technology (OT).
“Traditionally, IT and OT have been separate—but now they have to work together, under a single cybersecurity strategy,” he said.
This integration has been driven largely by cybersecurity concerns.
“Because of cybersecurity, the almost forced marriage has evolved where IT and OT now have to take hands, start working together, start planning together, start aligning together, and start making plans around the cybersecurity strategy which you need in your company to prevent attacks in the form of ransom malware or any other attack.”
Smart Meter and the Future of Customer Service
Eskom is also modernising its customer experience through smart meter deployment.
More than half a million smart meters have already been installed, with the utility reaching 35% of its total end-state target.
The smart meters provide real-time visibility into consumption patterns and enable two-way energy interaction.
“We are rolling out two-way energy interaction systems to make sure that we understand what’s going on in your environment,” De Villiers explained.
The utility is moving towards an integrated virtual credit system similar to loading airtime on a phone, making electricity loading seamless for prepaid customers.
From Legacy Grid to Self-Healing Infrastructure
Eskom’s digitalisation journey is moving through phases: from a legacy grid to a digitalised grid, then to an intelligent grid, and eventually to a self-healing grid.
De Villiers noted that the utility is actively decommissioning legacy systems and replacing them with state-of-the-art solutions on both the IT and OT sides.
The challenge is immense.
“In my short career, I’ve never had as big a challenge as this, as complex as this, and as impactful as this,” De Villiers admitted.
“It is the biggest challenge of my career, and the most impactful.”
Green Energy and the Transition
As South Africa transitions away from coal, Eskom Green is preparing for a future where wind, solar, gas, and nuclear power become increasingly viable.
The utility is deploying technologies to address emissions challenges at its coal power stations and has piloted an off-grid solution in Matipa Smart Village, a standalone prototype combining solar PV with battery storage and smart metering that serves 700 households.
A Disciplined Approach to AI
De Villiers offered practical advice to fellow technology leaders: “If you have 40,000 or 50,000 people in your company and you want to roll out AI, I would not suggest you give them 50,000 AI licenses tomorrow.
“Stage it, phase it, make sure you start with your knowledge workers, your skilled people, the people that can build use cases, that can build and create pilots.”
He stressed the importance of having an AI policy, an AI risk register, and giving people freedom to experiment within defined guardrails.
“If people are excited about AI, allow them to play with it, allow them to get used to it, and give them guidance.
“Have an AI policy, set the rules, have an AI risk register, but give them the freedom to work on opportunities.”
Eskom’s transformation is not merely a technology update but a fundamental shift from a one-way, reactive utility to a two-way intelligent energy partner.
Through AI, drones, smart metering, and its strategic partnership with Huawei, Eskom is building the foundation for a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy future for South Africa.
As De Villiers concluded: “Sustainable electricity supports economic growth, reduces poverty, and improves living standards.
“Eskom remains pivotal in transforming lives through our significant contribution to South Africa’s economy.”
*This article first appeared in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
