S. Africa Nears One Year without Load Shedding as Eskom Stabilises Grid

Eskom says South Africa’s power system has remained stable despite rising electricity demand triggered by colder weather conditions, as the utility extended its streak without nationwide load shedding to almost a full year.

In a system performance update released on Friday, the power utility disclosed that evening demand recently surged to nearly 2,000 megawatts above projected levels as temperatures dropped across parts of the country and solar generation declined after sunset.

Despite the pressure on the grid, Eskom said improved operational resilience and better utilisation of available generation capacity helped sustain stable electricity supply.

The utility attributed the performance to continued progress under its Generation Recovery Plan, which it said had strengthened plant reliability, improved maintenance execution, and reduced dependence on diesel-powered emergency generation.

According to Eskom, South Africa has now recorded 357 consecutive days without load shedding since May 16, 2025, while no electricity supply interruptions have occurred since the beginning of the current financial year on April 1, 2026.

The company said diesel expenditure between April 1 and May 7, 2026, dropped sharply to R469.24 million from R2.436bn recorded during the same period last year, representing a decline of more than 80 per cent.

It explained that diesel was only deployed strategically during peak demand periods and to maintain reserve margins in line with grid requirements.

Eskom also reported improvements in generation performance, with the Energy Availability Factor rising to 60.29 per cent from 56.48 per cent recorded during the corresponding period last year.

Unplanned outages declined to an average of 11,593MW between May 1 and May 7, compared with 12,556MW during the same period in 2025.

The utility noted that planned maintenance remained a priority, with average planned maintenance levels standing at 7,356MW as part of efforts to improve long-term reliability and environmental compliance.

Eskom further disclosed that an additional 2,889MW of generation capacity would be brought online ahead of the evening peak on Monday to support expected demand.

The utility maintained that its Winter Outlook published in April still projects no load shedding between April and August 2026 due to sustained operational improvements across the generation fleet.

However, Eskom warned that illegal electricity connections, meter tampering, and vandalism continue to place pressure on parts of the electricity network, particularly in high-risk communities.

To address the challenge, the company said it is accelerating the rollout of smart meters and network upgrades under a phased programme aimed at eliminating load reduction nationwide by 2027.

According to Eskom, more than 1.65 million smart meters have already been installed nationwide, including over 260,000 units deployed in high-risk areas affected by electricity theft and overloaded infrastructure.

The utility added that 351 feeders had so far been removed from load reduction schedules, benefiting an estimated 598,042 customers across several provinces.