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Eskom reports 525 days without load shedding

Published

Eskom says its Energy Availability Factor for the financial year to date reached 68.1%. The utility credits its Generation Recovery Plan with more available generation, fewer unplanned outages and less spending on diesel.

Eskom said the 525 days without load shedding started on 16 May 2025. It said available generation capacity is 4961MW above current demand requirements. Unplanned outages fell by 6.89% year on year, and 3115MW returned to service compared with the same period last year.

Eskom said it now relies less on diesel-fired open cycle gas turbines. It said diesel spending fell by R4.81 billion year on year. Average unplanned outages fell by 7064MW over three years, from 16 172MW to 9 108MW.

Customers affected by load reduction fell from 1.69 million to 193 556, a drop of 88.6%. Eskom said 1.5 million customers returned to normal supply. The remaining customers are about 2.7% of its customer base.

Eskom has installed 524 375 smart meters on load reduction feeders, about 91% of the 577 347 target. It said installations continue in the remaining areas ahead of a March 2027 target. Eskom said resistance, including safety incidents, intimidation and work stoppages, delays the rollout and affects 122 000 planned installations.

Key facts

Who
Eskom (power utility issuing the statement)
What
Eskom, in a statement, reported continued gains from its Generation Recovery Plan, including higher generation availability, lower unplanned outages, reduced diesel expenditure and a fall in customers affected by load reduction. It also said smart meter installations are continuing in remaining areas ahead of a March 2027 eradication target.
When
26 October 2026
Where
South Africa, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal
Status
Reported

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