Smart meter rollout helps Eskom cut load reduction for thousands of customers

The power utility confirmed that 714 513 customers across South Africa are no longer affected by load reduction, representing more than 42% of targeted households. Eskom said load reduction has already been fully eliminated in the Northern Cape and Western Cape.

The programme targets 971 feeders and is expected to benefit about 1.69 million customers across all provinces, out of Eskom’s total customer base of 7.2 million.

According to Eskom, key interventions include the rollout of smart meters, the integration of distributed energy resources and the expansion of Free Basic Electricity support. These measures are also being supported by customer education initiatives.

Since the start of the programme, about 1.6 million smart meters have been installed nationwide. Of these, 295 462 have been deployed on load reduction feeders, targeting high-demand and high-loss areas.

Eskom said the rollout is focused on areas affected by illegal connections, meter bypassing, overloaded infrastructure and electricity theft, which place a strain on the grid.

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However, the utility noted that the installation programme has faced challenges, including resistance in some communities, intimidation of teams, violent incidents and work stoppages. These disruptions have resulted in delays and the postponement of more than 122 000 planned meter conversions.

Despite these setbacks, Eskom said system performance continues to improve, with the financial year-to-date Energy Availability Factor increasing to 63.05%, compared to 57.67% during the same period last year.

The utility also reported more than 385 days without load-shedding, describing this as a sign of progress under its turnaround strategy.

To help meet demand, Eskom said it plans to bring 3 903MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak.