The parastatal said this accomplishment builds on the momentum of 2024, when it delivered 352 load shedding-free days.
While many were expecting load shedding during the cold, bitter winter, Eskom seem to have come out of the ICU and into a general ward, announcing it has marked a major operational milestone — 100 consecutive days without rolling blackouts, saying it signals a sharp turnaround in performance and a growing stabilisation of South Africa’s power grid.
The parastatal said this accomplishment builds on the momentum of 2024, when it delivered 352 load-shedding-free days, and marks a significant improvement from the 36 days recorded in FY2023/24, the lowest performance in recent years.
Billions in diesel
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said it attributes the progress to its Generation Recovery Plan, launched in March 2023, and the consistent efforts of its technical teams working to stabilise and strengthen the national grid.
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa earlier this month said Eskom was in a good space and South Africans shouldn’t worry about the utility burning through billions of rands in diesel to keep the lights on because it was all part of the plan.
The minister cited improvements in performance and stability across the national grid, despite Eskom spending billions on diesel.
“At the beginning of the financial year, in April, we relied more and more on the diesel to be able to support us, and this diesel was able to support us because it’s meant to support us during those periods of difficulty, Ramokgopa said.
Ramokgopa said there will be no load shedding for the rest of the winter period, going into the summer months.
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Load shedding chained
Mokwena hailed the milestone of keeping load shedding chained.
“In the current financial year (FY2025/26), Eskom has recorded just 26 hours of load shedding and delivered 144 days of reliable electricity to date,” Mokwena said.
“The resilience of our generation fleet continues to improve, with unplanned losses due to breakdowns now at 6 035 MW—well below the 7 000 MW threshold. The last time Eskom recorded unplanned losses below this level was on 27 September 2020, when the figure stood at 6 829 MW,” she said.
Operational gains
Mokwena said these operational gains are not just milestones.
“They are stepping stones toward a larger goal: ending load shedding for good. Eskom remains fully committed to supporting South Africa’s electricity reform agenda and accelerating the transition to a competitive, sustainable energy future.”
Mokwena said Eskom’s focus is not only on maintaining operational excellence, but also on enabling the structural reforms that will shape the future of the energy industry, for the benefit of all South Africans.
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