Friday, 03 April 2026: Eskom is delivering a stable and resilient power system, driven by clear, measurable improvements across its generation fleet that are translating into sustained operational gains. The decisive execution of the Generation Recovery Plan has lifted the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) to 65.35% year‑to‑date and reduced diesel expenditure by 62.46% year‑on‑year. These results demonstrate Eskom’s firm commitment to operational excellence, disciplined cost management, and the delivery of long‑term energy security.

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) averaged 65.35% (unaudited). Week‑on‑week performance declined marginally by 0.02% compared to the previous week. Despite this short‑term variation, overall performance reflects sustained improvement, with EAF increasing by 4.75% year‑on‑year and by 10.79% over the past two years. During the period, the generation fleet achieved or exceeded the 70% EAF milestone on 83 occasions, demonstrating enhanced operational stability and consistent performance gains.

Between 27 March and 2 April 2026, average unplanned outages were recorded at 9 879MW, showing a notable improvement from the 14 067MW experienced during the same week last year, a reduction of 4 189MW, which is almost the size of Kusile Power Station. This underlines the ongoing gains in reliability across the fleet.

Over the same period, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), reflecting unplanned outages, was at 20.75%, representing a reduction of 8.77% compared to the 29.52% recorded during the same period last year.

During the same period, Eskom’s Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF) — which reflects planned maintenance — averaged 15.58%, higher than the 14.52% in the previous financial year, and is aligned with Eskom’s efforts to ensure environmental compliance, improve reliability, and support long‑term sustainability.

In addition, 4 689MW is currently in cold reserve due to excess capacity.

For the 2025/26 financial year to date (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026), diesel expenditure was R6.4 billion, significantly lower than during the same period last year, reflecting a 62.46% reduction year-on-year, and a significant underspend against the annual budget.

Over the past week (27 March to 2 April), diesel usage contributed 0.40 GWh of electricity to the grid at a cost of R2.27 million, resulting in a weekly load factor of 0.070%. This diesel usage was primarily associated with optimisation tests conducted at Gourikwa Power Station.

South Africa has achieved 322 consecutive days without an interruption in electricity supply and recorded 361 uninterrupted days, approximately 99% availability, during the 2025/26 financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026). Supply interruptions during the year were limited to just 26 hours across four days in April and May 2025, underscoring the strength and reliability of the power system.

Eskom confirms that the Summer Outlook published on 5 September 2025 has been successfully realised. For the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026, South Africa experienced no load shedding, reflecting sustained improvements in plant performance delivered through the Generation Recovery Plan.

The power system status and Winter Outlook will be shared during April.

To further ensure a stable electricity supply, Eskom will bring 2 385MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 6 April 2026. Today’s evening peak demand is forecast at 21 846MW, with 26 855MW of available capacity, providing a healthy reserve margin above current demand.

Key Performance Highlights

For the 2025/26 financial year, the UCLF decreased to 22.72%, slightly lower than 22.75% last week, and remaining well below last year’s 25.89%.

For the past financial year, planned maintenance was at an average of 5 425MW, accounting for 11.53% of total generation capacity, marginally higher than last week’s 11.47% and lower than the 12.66% over the same period in the previous year.

For the past financial year (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026), Eskom generated 1 078.436 GWh from OCGT plants at a diesel cost of R6.4 billion. This is significantly lower than the 2 838.44GWh generated during the same period last year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025), which resulted in costs of R17.048 billion. Notably, diesel usage has declined consistently month-on-month since May 2025.

The past financial year OCGT load factor was at 3.61%, reflecting a 0.07% improvement from the previous week. This is significantly lower than the 9.49% recorded during the same period in the previous year and remains below the set target.

Progress in Ending Load Reduction: 270 373 customers no longer affected during peak periods, and smart meter rollout approaches the 600 mark

Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist, causing infrastructure damage and posing serious safety risks. In response, Eskom continues to implement load reduction as a temporary measure in high-risk areas to protect both communities and the electricity network.

To address these challenges sustainably, Eskom has launched a phased programme to eliminate load reduction by 2027. The programme targets 971 feeders and will benefit approximately 1.69 million customers across all provinces, out of Eskom’s total customer base of 7.2 million. Key interventions include the rollout of smart meters, the integration of Distributed Energy Resources, and the expansion of Free Basic Electricity support. These measures will be accompanied by targeted customer education initiatives.

Progress on key interventions

Smart Meter Rollout:

Over half a million smart meters (590 167) have now been deployed across the country as part of Eskom’s ongoing infrastructure upgrade, with 250 181 of these units specifically targeted at load reduction feeders. This 42% allocation to high-priority areas is essential for managing grid pressure while empowering our customers with real-time data and greater control over their energy usage.

Of the 250 181 smart meters installed on load reduction feeders, approximately 92% are concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu‑Natal, where network risk is highest.

Eskom is intensifying efforts on the phased programme to eliminate load reduction programme to ensure complete smart meter installation on load reduction feeders by 2027. Current implementation represents approximately 43% of the first phase target.

The rollout is deliberately focused on high-loss areas affected by illegal connections, meter bypassing, overloaded infrastructure and widespread electricity theft. Eskom has undertaken extensive community and stakeholder engagement through ward councillors, public meetings, radio platforms and social media to support the implementation of the programme.

Despite these efforts, installation teams continue to face persistent resistance, including intimidation, violent incidents and repeated work stoppages. These disruptions have led to deployment delays, the redeployment of teams, and heightened safety risks for Eskom employees and contractors.

As a result, approximately 122 000 planned meter conversions have been delayed to date, undermining the stability and predictability of the rollout programme.

Feeders Removed from Load Reduction:

The total number of feeders removed from load reduction is 186. This includes:

25 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (68% of the target of 37),
- 51 in Gauteng (40% of the target of 126),
- 10 in the Eastern and Western Cape (67% of the target of 15), with the Western Cape achieving 100% of its target.
- 97 in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (103%, which is 3% above the target of 94),
- 3 in the North West and Northern Cape (33% of the target of 9), with the Northern Cape achieving 100% of its target.

Nationally, 186 feeders have been removed from load reduction, representing approximately 69% of the feeders identified for removal in the first phase of implementation.

Customers benefiting from the elimination of the load reduction programme

With the feeders removed from load reduction to date, an estimated 270 373 customers are now benefiting, comprising 65 956 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 69 160 in Gauteng, 12 422 in the Eastern and Western Cape, 111 643 in KwaZulu-Natal and Free State and 11 192 in the Northwest and Northern Cape. The remaining customers still due for load‑reduction removal by financial year‑end are 168 380 in both Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 76 322 in Gauteng, 13 080 in both the Eastern and Western Cape, 16 203 in the Free State and KwaZulu‑Natal, and 32 989 in the Northern Cape and North West provinces.

Free Basic Electricity (FBE):

Nationally, registrations are at 582 110 customers. The FBE beneficiaries figure fluctuates monthly.The 582 110 figure reflects a 20.02% increase from the baseline of 485 000 customers and represents about 28% of the 2.1 million eligible customers.

Eskom is harnessing technology, upgrading infrastructure, and partnering with communities to ensure a safer, smarter, and more reliable power network for South Africa.

Eskom calls on communities to report illegal connections, use electricity responsibly, and protect infrastructure. Any illegal activity affecting Eskom’s infrastructure can be reported to the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323.

Eskom data sources

The Eskom data portal provides a 24/7 365 snapshot of system performance. [Eskom Data Portal].

Since May 2024, Eskom has released a detailed power system update every Friday, providing a consolidated view of key areas of its generation performance through the Media Desk and across its social media platforms. This is a deliberate effort to improve transparency.

Eskom will provide its next update on Friday, 10 April 2026, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS