Eskom Reports Improved Generation Performance

South Africa’s state power utility, Eskom, says strengthened generation performance is reinforcing national grid stability and supporting economic confidence.

In its latest power system update seen by AEP, Eskom reported that the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) for the financial year to date (1 April 2025 to 19 February 2026) has risen to 65.11%, with the fleet exceeding the 70% mark on 69 occasions during the period.

Average unplanned outages between 13 and 19 February 2026 dropped to 9,980MW, compared to 12,765MW in the same period last year, a reduction of 2,784MW. The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) also declined to 20.77%, down from 25.30% a year earlier.

Diesel expenditure has fallen significantly, with year-to-date spending R5.49 billion lower than the same period last year. Energy generated from Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) declined by 45.77% year-on-year, while diesel costs dropped by 46.76%, reflecting improved operational efficiency.

South Africa has now recorded 280 consecutive days without interruption in supply, with only 26 hours of loadshedding recorded in April and May 2025, during this financial year. Eskom projects no loadshedding for the remainder of the summer period ending March 31, 2026.

To strengthen supply ahead of peak demand, the utility plans to bring 3,274MW of additional generation capacity online before the evening peak on 23 February 2026. Forecast demand stands at 23,405MW, against available capacity of 26,701MW, ensuring a healthy reserve margin.

Eskom also reported progress in its load reduction elimination programme. So far, 119 feeders have been removed from load reduction, benefiting 151,429 customers nationwide. However, 425,918 customers still need to be removed from load reduction by March 2026 to meet its target.

The utility said it continues to face challenges from illegal connections and meter tampering, which threaten infrastructure stability and worker safety. To address this, Eskom has installed 349,964 smart meters nationwide as part of its phased plan to eliminate load reduction by 2027.