Eskom’s power system remains stable and supporting the return to work, strengthened by increasing plant availability and sustained reduction in unplanned outages

Friday, 16 January 2026: Eskom’s power system remains stable, continuing to support economic activity in the country. South Africa returned this week from the holiday break, to a structurally stronger system entering 2026, than five years ago, with an additional 4 400MW of capacity available compared to this time last year. The resilience of the power system reflects the major improvements in Eskom’s generation fleet and the success of its Generation Recovery Plan, driving stronger operations and securing the country’s energy future.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) remains on an upward trajectory, with the year-to-date EAF further increasing to 64.66%. The fleet has now achieved or exceeded the 70% EAF mark on 55 occasions.

The improvements in EAF demonstrate both recovery and sustained improvement in EAF performance, reinforcing energy security and grid stability. This performance confirms sustained recovery and reinforces confidence in the stability and security of the national electricity supply.

Between 09 and 15 January 2026, average unplanned outages decreased to 8 252MW from last year’s level at this time of 14 783MW. This represents a significant improvement of 6 531MW.

Over the same period, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) reduced to 17.19%, a significant improvement of 13.74% compared to 30 93% recorded during the same period last year.

During the same period, Eskom’s Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF)—essentially planned maintenance—averaged 13.89%, up from 11.51% in the previous financial year. This increase is consistent with Eskom’s maintenance schedule and reflects a deliberate strategy to enhance plant reliability, strengthen operational stability, and support long‑term fleet performance.

It builds on the intensive maintenance programme implemented last year, which exceeded historical norms over the past three years and was aimed at restoring fleet reliability.

The benefits of this approach are already evident in the continued decline of unplanned outages.

The ongoing improvement in EAF has greatly reduced Eskom’s reliance on expensive diesel generation, enabling a stronger focus on more cost‑effective primary energy sources. In addition, 5 368MW is currently in cold reserve due to excess capacity and lower demand during the holiday season.

For a fourth consecutive week, no diesel was used, resulting in zero expenditure over the past four weeks. Diesel spending is now R3.42 billion lower than the same time last year. This continued reduction demonstrates both the cost savings and the operational improvements achieved through Eskom’s ongoing turnaround efforts. Overall, this positive trend highlights the growing stability and efficiency of the power system.

Year-to-date, diesel expenditure remains consistently below budget.

South Africa has now experienced 245 consecutive days without an interrupted supply, with only 26 hours of loadshedding recorded in April and May 2025 during this financial year.

To maintain a stable electricity supply, Eskom will bring 2 070MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 19 January 2026. Today’s evening peak demand is forecast at 22 860MW, supported by 28 703MW of available capacity, giving the system a healthy margin above current demand.

Eskom published the Summer Outlook on 5 September 2025, covering the period 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026, which projects no loadshedding due to sustained improvements in plant performance from the Generation Recovery Plan.

Key Performance Highlights

• Year-to-date, the UCLF further reduced to 23.52%, reflecting a week-on-week improvement of 1.74% and remaining below last year’s 25.26%.

• Year to date, planned maintenance was at an average of 5 362MW, accounting for 11.4% of total generation capacity, slightly more than last week’s 11.34% and lower than the 12.37% over the same period last year.

• Between 1 April 2025 and 15 January 2026, Eskom generated 1 049.38GWh from Open- Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, incurring diesel costs of R6.230 billion. This is lower than the 1 568.73GWh produced during the same period last year at a cost of R9.650 billion. Notably, diesel consumption has been declining steadily month-on-month since May 2025, and the month-to-date load factor is 0%.

• The year-to-date OCGT load factor has further decreased to 4.42%, reflecting a 0.11% improvement from the previous week. This is lower than the 6.60% recorded during the same period last year and remains below the set target.

Progress in Ending Load Reduction: 107 927 customers no longer affected during peak periods

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.

To address these challenges sustainably, Eskom has initiated a phased programme to eliminate load reduction by 2027. The programme targets 971 feeders and will benefit approximately 1.69 million customers through interventions such as smart meters, Distributed Energy Resources, and expanded Free Basic Electricity (FBE) support.

 Progress on key interventions

• Smart Meter Rollout:

Eskom has installed and uploaded 83 704 smart meters on feeders affected by load reduction, with more than 90% of these installations located in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal. The programme aims to install a total of 577 347 meters by March 2026, with full completion expected in 2027. Current progress stands at approximately 14.5% of the overall target, and installations continue steadily to ensure the programme’s milestones are achieved.

• Feeders Removed from Load Reduction:

The total number of feeders removed from load reduction has increased to 84. This includes 13 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (35% of the target of 37), 37 in Gauteng (29% of the target of 126), 8 in the Eastern and Western Cape (53% of the target of 15), and 26 in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (28% of the target of 94). Nationally, the 84 feeders removed represent about 31% of the overall year-end target of 271 feeders to be removed from load reduction by March 2026.

Efforts continue to accelerate feeder removals to meet both provincial and national targets.

• Customers Benefiting

With the additional feeders removed from load reduction this week, an estimated 107 927 customers are now benefiting, comprising 28 992 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 48 876 in Gauteng, and 10 770 in the Eastern and Western Cape, 19 289 in KwaZulu-Natal. The remaining customers still due for load‑reduction removal by financial year‑end are 207 344 in both Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 96 606 in Gauteng, 14 740 in both Eastern and Western Cape, 108 557 in the Free State and KwaZulu‑Natal, and 44 181 in the Northern Cape and North West provinces. Overall, 507 998 customers out of 577 347, equivalent to 87.98% of the target, still need to be cleared by March 2026.

• Free Basic Electricity (FBE):

Nationally, registrations are at 573 273 customers. The FBE beneficiaries figure fluctuates monthly, and the average for this financial year is 584 848 beneficiaries.This reflects a 18.2% increase from the baseline of 485 000 customers and represents 27.3% 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, 23 January 2026, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS