Loadshedding-Free Streak Reaches 119 Days as Eskom Reports 71.6% Energy Availability

12 September 2025

South Africa has now gone 119 consecutive days without loadshedding, with Eskom reporting sustained technical improvements across its generation fleet. The utility's Energy Availability Factor (EAF) currently stands at 71.64%, with unplanned losses from breakdowns significantly below the critical 10,000MW threshold at 7,394MW.

Key Performance Indicators Show Sustained Improvement

According to Eskom's latest update, the power system has met more than 97% of electricity demand since the beginning of the financial year. The country has experienced no loadshedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours of power cuts recorded between 1 April and 11 September 2025.

The current unplanned outages average 8,826MW over the past week, marking a notable year-on-year reduction of 2,089MW compared to the same period last year. This reflects the ongoing implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan, which appears to be delivering structural improvements in plant performance.

Planned maintenance has increased as Eskom enters the summer period, averaging 4,624MW between 5-11 September. Year-to-date, planned maintenance has averaged 5,243MW, accounting for 11.17% of total generation capacity.

Additional Generation Capacity Coming Online

Kusile Unit 6, which has been contributing 720MW to the national grid since 23 March 2025, is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of September. Additionally, Eskom plans to return a total of 2,835MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 15 September, and throughout the coming week.

The available generation capacity currently stands at 28,776MW, with tonight's electricity demand expected to reach 25,181MW. According to Eskom, this capacity is sufficient to meet both current demand and anticipated requirements over the weekend.

Diesel Usage and Expenses Remain Low

The open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), or diesel generators, maintained a load factor of just 0.001% for the second consecutive week, indicating minimal reliance on these expensive emergency generation resources.

From 1 April to 11 September 2025, Eskom spent approximately R5.93 billion on fuel for its OCGT plants, generating 1,000.91GWh of electricity. The year-to-date load factor for OCGTs has decreased to 7.45%, reflecting reduced dependence compared to previous periods, though it remains higher than the 4.30% recorded during the same period last year.

Challenges with Illegal Connections Persist

Despite the improvements in generation capacity, Eskom continues to face challenges with illegal connections and electricity theft. Load reduction (targeted power cuts in high-theft areas) eased slightly during winter peak periods, from an average of 544MW in April 2025 to 529MW in June 2025.

Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng account for approximately 87% of the total load reduction. Eskom aims to reduce load reduction by 15-20% by March 2026 and eliminate it entirely within two years by addressing 640,000 illegal connections, upgrading infrastructure, reducing illegal vending, and expanding free basic electricity registrations.

Summer Outlook Appears Positive

On 5 September, Eskom published its Summer Outlook covering the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026. The outlook forecasts no loadshedding during this period, citing structural progress in plant performance resulting from the Generation Recovery Plan.

While this represents a significant improvement compared to previous years, the continued stability of the grid will depend on maintaining the current performance levels and successfully executing planned maintenance without unexpected major breakdowns.

Key Terms Explained

• Energy Availability Factor (EAF): The percentage of maximum energy generation that a plant is capable of producing over a specific period, taking into account both planned and unplanned outages. Higher percentages indicate better performance.
• Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF): The percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages (breakdowns). Lower percentages indicate better reliability.
• Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs): Diesel-powered emergency generators used during periods of high demand or when other generation units are unavailable. They are expensive to run but provide quick access to additional power.
• Load Reduction: Targeted power cuts in areas with high levels of electricity theft and illegal connections to protect infrastructure from damage due to overloading.
• Generation Recovery Plan: Eskom's comprehensive strategy to improve the performance and reliability of its power stations through maintenance, operational improvements, and organizational changes.