October 3, 2025

Record 140 Days Without Loadshedding as Eskom Hits 70% Energy Availability Target

South Africa's power system has maintained stability with no loadshedding for 140 consecutive days, as Eskom reports its month-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has surpassed the 70% target, reaching 70.45% in early October.

The state power utility attributes these improvements to ongoing technical enhancements under its Generation Recovery Plan, which has ensured electricity demand has been met for over 97.8% of the time during the current financial year.

Kusile Unit 6 Enters Commercial Operation

A significant milestone was reached on September 29 when Unit 6 at Kusile Power Station entered commercial operation, marking the completion of Eskom's New-Build Programme. This final unit at Kusile concludes the construction of South Africa's two supercritical coal-fired power stations—Medupi and Kusile—which together can deliver up to 9,600MW at full capacity.

The completion of these plants strengthens the country's baseload capacity (continuous 24/7 electricity supply), with Kusile Unit 6 now contributing to Eskom's overall performance metrics.

Reduced Unplanned Outages and Diesel Usage

Between September 26 and October 2, Eskom recorded an average of 9,534MW in unplanned outages, representing a substantial improvement compared to the 11,505MW during the same period last year. This year-on-year reduction of 1,971MW in breakdowns is nearly equivalent to the entire output capacity of Koeberg Power Station.

Diesel expenditure has remained consistently below budget since April 1, with reduced reliance on Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs). The year-to-date load factor for OCGTs has decreased to 6.63%, reflecting a shift toward more cost-effective primary generation sources.

In the past week, diesel spending dropped dramatically to just R0.09 million at a load factor of 0.003%, highlighting the decreased dependency on diesel generation.

Key Performance Metrics

• The Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF) has decreased to 25.63% since April 1, showing a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.21%.
• Planned maintenance has averaged 5,263MW year-to-date, accounting for 11.22% of total generation capacity.
• The year-to-date EAF increased to 62.66%, slightly below the 63.14% recorded during the same period last year.
• Eskom has generated 1,004.70GWh from its OCGT plants since April, with diesel expenditure totaling R5.9532 billion.

Planned Capacity Returns

To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom plans to return 4,200MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, October 6, and throughout the coming week.

Ongoing Challenge: Load Reduction

Despite overall system stability, Eskom continues to implement load reduction in certain high-risk areas to protect infrastructure from damage caused by electricity theft through illegal connections and meter tampering. Between April and June 2025, average load reductions ranged from 529MW to 544MW.

The utility has committed to eliminating load reduction within the next 12-18 months by addressing 640,000 illegal connections, upgrading infrastructure, curbing illegal electricity vending, and expanding access to free basic electricity in priority areas.

Outlook

According to Eskom's Summer Outlook published on September 5, which covers the period from September 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, no loadshedding is forecast due to the structural progress in plant performance resulting from the Generation Recovery Plan.

While the consistent improvement in unplanned outages and achievement of the 70% month-to-date EAF target represents significant progress, the sustainability of these gains will depend on maintaining disciplined maintenance schedules and preventing major unexpected failures. The upcoming summer months typically place less demand on the system, which should provide further opportunities to conduct planned maintenance without disrupting supply.

Key Terms Explained

Energy Availability Factor (EAF): The percentage of Eskom's total generation capacity that is available for use. A higher EAF (closer to 100%) means more of Eskom's plants are operational and available to produce electricity. The 70% target has been Eskom's goal for stabilizing the grid.

Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF): The percentage of generation capacity lost due to unexpected breakdowns or unplanned maintenance. Lower UCLF values indicate fewer unexpected problems with power plants. Every 1% of UCLF represents approximately 470MW of generation capacity.

Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs): Diesel-powered emergency generators that Eskom uses during periods of high demand or when other generation units are unavailable. They are expensive to run (costing approximately R4 per kWh compared to R1.40 for coal generation) and are designed for short-term emergency use rather than continuous operation.

Baseload Capacity: Power generation that can run continuously (24/7) to meet the minimum level of demand on the electrical grid. Coal and nuclear plants typically provide baseload power in South Africa.

Load Reduction: A targeted power cut in specific areas where infrastructure is at risk due to overloading from illegal connections. Unlike loadshedding (which is implemented when there's not enough generation capacity), load reduction aims to protect transformers and equipment from damage even when there is sufficient generation capacity.

1 Gigawatt-hour (GWh): Enough electricity to power approximately 650,000 homes for one hour, or about 27,000 homes for a full day.