South Africa marks 105 days without load-shedding
Eskom has achieved 105 consecutive days without load-shedding, crediting improved plant performance and lower unplanned outages for keeping South Africa’s grid stable.
Eskom has announced that South Africa has now reached 105 consecutive days without load-shedding, signalling sustained improvements in the performance of its generation fleet.
In a statement on Friday, the power utility said the milestone reflects consistent technical progress, with unplanned outages remaining at low levels.
“This milestone builds on the momentum of the 2025 financial year, which recorded 352 load-shedding-free days, and reflects a significant improvement from the 36 days achieved in the 2024 financial year.
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“As the winter season concludes, the national grid remains stable and reliable, reinforcing Eskom’s commitment to ending load-shedding,” Eskom said.
South Africa has not experienced load-shedding since May 15, with only 26 hours recorded between April 1 and August 28.
The utility said it has been able to meet more than 97% of electricity demand this winter and in the current financial year to date.
Unplanned breakdowns have fallen to 8 948MW, well below the 10 000MW threshold. Eskom attributed the improvement to its generation recovery plan. Planned maintenance also increased between August 15 and 28, averaging 6 968MW.
During this period, the Energy Availability Factor fluctuated between 64% and 75%, with an average of 66.15% for the month.
Kusile Unit 6, which has contributed 720MW to the grid since March, is expected to reach commercial operation in September.
Eskom said it plans to return 4 830MW of generation capacity to service in the week starting September 1, to strengthen grid stability further.
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The Unplanned Capability Loss Factor decreased to 27.3% between April 1 and August 28, showing a week-on-week improvement.
Diesel usage also dropped significantly, with the open-cycle gas turbine load factor decreasing to 0.16% this week from 0.78% last week.
The Winter Outlook published in May indicated that load-shedding would not be required if unplanned outages remained below 13 000MW. With two days left in the outlook period, Eskom said the system is well-positioned to maintain stability.
On Friday, available generation capacity stood at 29 132MW against an expected demand of 25 797MW, sufficient to meet weekend requirements. Eskom will release its summer outlook later in September.
