Since 15 May 2025, there has been no load shedding.
Eskom says it is planning to return more power to the electricity grid on Monday, with the country relishing the euphoric experience of no load shedding for more than two months.
The parastatal shared an update on its efforts to mitigate the rolling blackouts, which have been welcomed by South Africans.
Energy Availability
With just over 100 days until the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November, Eskom will hope its efforts will not embarrass the country as world leaders arrive.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the power system continues to operate reliably, supported by an improved Energy Availability Factor (EAF).
“The generation fleet continues to show ongoing solid momentum, with over half (57%) of Eskom’s fourteen coal-fired power stations now operating at an EAF above 70%, including three stations performing at a notable performance of more than 90%. An additional four stations are operating above 60%, reflecting the fleet’s growing stability and improved reliability,” Mokwena said.
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“Since 15 May 2025, there has been no load shedding, with load shedding only implemented for 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 31 July 2025,” Mokwena said.
“To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 3 075MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 4 August 2025, and throughout the coming week,” she said.
Winter outlook
Mokwena said between 1 April and 31 July 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which reflects the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, further decreased to 28.58%.
“This represents a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.4%, although it remains about 2.3% higher than the 26.28% recorded during the same period last year.
“The Winter Outlook, published on 5 May 2025, covering the period ending 31 August 2025, remains valid. It indicates that load shedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13 000MW. If outages rise to 15 000MW, load shedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days and restricted to stage 2,” Mokwena said.
Eskom has encouraged all South Africans to use electricity efficiently throughout the winter season.
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