South Africa marks 441 days without load-shedding as Eskom reports stronger grid
With improved generation performance, fewer unplanned outages and significantly reduced diesel use, it is all helping Eskom keep the lights on.
South Africa has reached 441 consecutive days without load-shedding, with Eskom reporting improved power generation, fewer unplanned outages and a sharp decline in diesel use.
According to the South African Government News Agency, the country has been free of load-shedding since May 16, 2025. Eskom said electricity demand was met 100% of the time between April 1 and July 30, while its Winter Outlook continues to project no load-shedding until at least August 31.
The utility said the sustained stability reflects improved power station performance, increased generation capacity and greater system reliability during the winter period.
A key milestone was achieved on July 26 when Eskom recorded a daily Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 82.04% – the highest daily performance since 2017. The financial year-to-date EAF has improved to 66.97%, up 7.28 percentage points from the same period last year.
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Eskom said it has restored about 5.9GW of generating capacity over the past three years, with more than 85% of its coal-fired power stations now operating at EAF levels of between 73% and 97%.
The utility also reported a significant improvement in plant reliability. Unplanned outages dropped to 4 562MW on July 26, the lowest level recorded since June 2018. During the week of July 24 to 30, average unplanned outages fell by 47.8% year on year, from 10 641MW to 5 553MW.
The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor improved to 11.74%, down from 22.21% during the same period last year, while planned maintenance averaged 8.94%.
Eskom attributed the improvements to the continued implementation of its Generation Recovery Plan.
The stronger performance has also reduced the utility’s reliance on diesel-powered generation. Eskom said no diesel was used between July 24 and 30, marking the second consecutive week without diesel consumption.
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From April 1 to July 30, diesel expenditure totalled R807.41m, compared with R5.63b during the same period last year – a reduction of 85.67%.
Open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), which provide emergency power during periods of peak demand, were also used significantly less. Year-to-date OCGT generation declined by nearly 89% compared with the previous year.
Despite the progress, Eskom said load reduction remains in place in some communities affected by illegal electricity connections, meter tampering, infrastructure damage and network overloading.
Through its Load Reduction Eradication Programme, about 1.2 million customers have been removed from load reduction schedules, representing 70.8% of the 1.69 million customers initially affected.
Six of the country’s nine provinces have now been fully removed from load reduction, while work continues in Gauteng, KZN and the Eastern Cape. Eskom aims to eliminate load reduction in a seventh province by October 2026 and nationwide by 2027.
The utility has also installed more than 503 000 smart meters in high-priority areas, achieving 87.1% of its installation target in support of the programme.
