Eskom Extends Power Stability, Cuts Load Reduction

South African power utility Eskom says it has maintained a stable electricity supply for more than a year without nationwide load shedding, while removing over one million customers from load reduction schedules as improvements in generation performance continue to strengthen the country's power system.

In its latest system update, Eskom said 1.099 million customers, about 65 per cent of the 1.69 million targeted under its Load Reduction Eradication Programme, are no longer subject to load reduction. The utility added that load reduction has now been completely eliminated in five of South Africa's nine provinces and remains on course for removal in seven provinces by October 2026 and nationwide by 2027.

Unlike load shedding, which involves planned nationwide power cuts due to insufficient electricity generation, load reduction is a targeted measure used in specific high-risk areas to protect electricity infrastructure from overload, illegal connections and electricity theft.

The update also showed that South Africa has now recorded 413 consecutive days without load shedding since 16 May 2025, reflecting sustained improvements under Eskom's Generation Recovery Plan.

The development is significant for South Africa's economy, where years of electricity shortages disrupted mining, manufacturing, businesses and household activities. Stable electricity supply is considered critical to improving investor confidence, supporting industrial production and reducing the cost of doing business.

Generation performance improves

Eskom attributed the improved system performance to higher plant availability, lower unplanned outages and more effective maintenance across its generation fleet.

The utility said its Energy Availability Factor (EAF), a measure of the proportion of installed generation capacity available to produce electricity rose to 64.29 per cent between 1 April and 2 July 2026, compared with 58.54 per cent during the corresponding period last year.

Average unplanned outages also fell sharply to 9,850 megawatts (MW) during the week under review, down from 14,981 MW a year earlier, while the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor improved from 31.33 per cent to 20.69 per cent over the same period.

Planned maintenance remained elevated at about 9.01 per cent of installed capacity, reflecting Eskom's strategy of carrying out preventive maintenance while maintaining adequate electricity reserves.

The utility also reported zero diesel consumption during the reporting week, saying improved plant reliability significantly reduced reliance on expensive diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines. Since the beginning of the current financial year, diesel expenditure has declined by almost 85 per cent, falling to R746.4 million from R4.86 billion recorded during the same period last year.

Eskom said available generation capacity continued to exceed electricity demand, with about 4,844 MW maintained in reserve to provide additional operational flexibility.

Progress on targeted interventions

Alongside improvements in generation, Eskom said it continues to make progress in addressing the underlying causes of load reduction through smart metering, network upgrades and community engagement.

The utility disclosed that it has installed more than 1.86 million smart meters nationwide, including over 472,000 in areas previously affected by load reduction. It also reported that 544 electricity feeders about 56 per cent of those targeted have been removed from load reduction schedules.

Despite the progress, Eskom acknowledged that illegal electricity connections, meter tampering and vandalism remain significant challenges in some communities, delaying the rollout of smart meters and damaging electricity infrastructure.

The company said more than 122,000 planned smart meter installations have been delayed because of safety incidents, intimidation of technical teams and community resistance.

Looking ahead, Eskom maintained the outlook it published in April, projecting no nationwide load shedding throughout the 2026 winter period, provided current operational improvements continue. The utility said it expects an additional 3,809 MW of generation capacity to return to service ahead of the coming week, further strengthening electricity supply reliability.