Eskom Reports Continued Grid Stability with No Loadshedding Since May 15

August 8, 2025

Loadshedding Remains Suspended as Winter Electricity Demand Continues to Be Met

The national power system continues to operate reliably with no loadshedding implemented since May 15, according to Eskom's latest operational update. South Africa has experienced only 26 hours of loadshedding between April 1 and July 31, 2025, marking a significant improvement in grid stability during the critical winter period.

With approximately three weeks remaining in Eskom's winter outlook period, the utility states that the system remains well-positioned to maintain stability and meet electricity demand effectively.

Current System Status

As of Friday, August 8, unplanned outages stand at 11,170MW, while available generation capacity is 29,962MW against an expected evening peak demand of 27,878MW. This capacity buffer is reported to be sufficient for both current demand and anticipated weekend requirements.

The power utility plans to return an additional 3,280MW to service ahead of Monday evening's peak demand (August 11), which should further strengthen grid stability for the coming week.

Performance Metrics Showing Improvement

For the first week of August (August 1-7), planned maintenance averaged 5,343MW, while the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) ranged between 62% and 70%. The month-to-date average EAF has risen to 65.38%, reflecting growing stability in the generation fleet.

This figure excludes the 720MW contribution from Kusile Unit 6, which has been supplying electricity to the grid since March 23, 2025, although it's not yet in commercial operation.

Between April 1 and August 7, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF) decreased to 28.35%, showing a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.23%. However, this remains about 2.3% higher than the 26.06% recorded during the same period last year.

The open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) load factor reached 5.99% this week, up from 0.31% during the previous week, though diesel spend remains within the allocated budget.

Winter Outlook Remains Unchanged

Eskom's Winter Outlook, published on May 5 and covering the period ending August 31, 2025, remains valid. According to this outlook:

• Loadshedding will not be necessary if unplanned outages stay below 13,000MW
• If outages rise to 15,000MW, loadshedding would be limited to a maximum of 21 days out of the 153-day winter period and restricted to Stage 2

Year-to-Date Performance Comparison

The average unplanned outages over the past seven days stood at 10,884MW, which is 362MW higher than during the same period last year, but 2,116MW below the base case estimate of 13,000MW used in Eskom's winter planning.

Year-to-date EAF increased to 60.14% (excluding Kusile Unit 6), which is below the 63.1% recorded during the same period last year. This difference is mainly attributed to a 2.3% increase in unplanned maintenance compared to the previous year.

Between April 1 and August 7, Eskom spent R5.842 billion on fuel for its OCGT plants, generating 988.56GWh of electricity. This output is higher than the 509.42GWh generated during the same timeframe last year.

Warning Against Illegal Connections

With loadshedding suspended and electricity demand rising during winter, Eskom has issued warnings about illegal connections and meter bypassing, noting these activities place immense strain on the network and often lead to transformer overloads and equipment damage.

The utility stated it is implementing load reduction measures in high-risk areas during peak hours to prevent potential infrastructure damage, and urged customers to purchase electricity only through accredited vendors.

Outlook

While the current performance indicators show continued stability, the coming weeks remain critical as South Africa completes the winter period. The planned return of 3,280MW ahead of Monday's peak should further bolster system reserves, but the slightly increased reliance on OCGTs compared to previous weeks suggests some tightening in available capacity.

Eskom's next update is scheduled for Friday, August 15, unless significant changes occur before then.

Key Terms Explained

Energy Availability Factor (EAF): The percentage of maximum energy generation that a plant is capable of supplying to the electrical grid, after accounting for planned and unplanned outages. An EAF of 65% means that, on average, 65% of Eskom's total theoretical generation capacity is available to produce electricity.

Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF): The percentage of generation capacity that is unavailable due to unplanned events or breakdowns. This includes boiler tube leaks, turbine failures, or any unforeseen technical issues that force units offline. The current 28.35% means nearly a third of Eskom's generation capacity is offline due to unexpected breakdowns.

Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs): Power generation units that burn diesel to produce electricity during peak demand periods or emergencies. They're essentially jet engines connected to generators and are expensive to run but can be started quickly when needed. Eskom uses these as emergency reserves, and their usage rate (load factor) is an indicator of how strained the regular generation fleet is.

Planned Maintenance: Scheduled downtime for power plants to undergo necessary repairs and preventative maintenance. This is measured as a percentage of total capacity and is essential for long-term plant health and reliability, but temporarily reduces available generation capacity.

Load Reduction: A targeted power cut in specific high-risk areas where illegal connections or overloading threaten to damage transformers and other infrastructure. Unlike loadshedding, which is implemented nationally due to insufficient generation capacity, load reduction is localized and aims to protect equipment.

Generation Recovery Plan: Eskom's comprehensive strategy to improve the performance and reliability of its power stations, focusing on addressing maintenance backlogs, operational efficiency, and technical capability.