Eskom said, as of today, 120 consecutive days without load shedding have been achieved.
Eskom continues to hammer nails into the load shedding coffin in a bid to keep the lord of darkness restrained after unplanned breakdowns reached new lows.
According to the utility, unplanned breakdowns dropped to just 5 989MW, roughly the output of about ten single units within Eskom’s fleet of 78 power station units.
“This achievement is especially significant, it’s the first time since 2 July 2017, when breakdowns reached 5645MW, that losses have fallen below the 6,000MW mark,” Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said on Sunday.
Mokwena said a similar performance was last seen on 16 November 2013, with breakdowns at 5 985MW, nearly identical to Sunday’s.
Winter
This progress not only reflects the success of Eskom’s Generation Operational Recovery Plan, but also confirms the projected load shedding-free summer announced on 5 September 2025, a promising sign of improved energy reliability for South Africa,” Mokwena said.
Earlier this month, Eskom said it concluded its 2025 winter period on 31 August with only 26 hours of load shedding across four evenings, supplying electricity 97% of the time to support South Africa’s economy.
“Eskom’s summer outlook for 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026 forecasts no load shedding — a recovery from last summer’s 13 days of load shedding, when electricity was supplied 96% of the time due to delayed unit returns from planned maintenance.
“This summer represents an even greater improvement compared with the 176 days of load shedding during the 2023-24 summer, when electricity was available only 17% of the time,” Eskom said.
ALSO READ: Eskom promises no load shedding this summer
Diesel
However, the parastatal burned nearly R6 billion worth of diesel to meet the winter demand.
South Africa has experienced no load shedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 11 September 2025.
Eskom said as of today, 120 consecutive days without load shedding have been achieved.
Mokwena said to further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 2 835MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 15 September 2025, and throughout the coming week.
She said from 1 April to 11 September 2025, Eskom spent approximately R5.9 billion on fuel for its Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, generating 1 000.91GWh of electricity.
While there was no notable increase in expenditure over the past week, the electricity generated represents a significant rise compared to the 578.14GWh produced during the same period last year.
“It is important to note that diesel expenditure is not consistent throughout the year but fluctuates seasonally in response to system demand and operational requirements,” Mokwena said.
Load reduction
Mokwena said during the previous winter peak periods in the mornings and evenings, load reduction eased slightly — from an average of 544MW in April 2025 to 529MW in June 2025 — with Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng accounting for approximately 87% of the total.
Eskom appreciates the progress achieved in reducing load reduction nationally, with a 3% improvement recorded between April and June 2025. The largest gains were seen in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with reductions of 13% and 5% respectively.
“Looking ahead, Eskom is committed to further reducing load reduction by 15–20% by March 2026 and eliminating it entirely within two years,” Mokwena said.
ALSO READ: Eskom forges ahead in bid to end load shedding for good
