Eskom’s power system remains stable, recording year‑on‑year gains with the Energy Availability Factor remaining on an upward trend and unplanned outages down to 6 171MW

Friday, 09 January 2026: Eskom’s power system remains stable and ready to meet the projected rise in electricity demand amid the heightened economic activity in the coming weeks as industries gradually resume operations. 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.

Eskom continues to see gains in the Energy Availability Factor (EAF), with the year-to-date EAF further increasing to 64.55%. The fleet has achieved or exceeded the 70% EAF mark on 55 occasions.

These figures underscore 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.

These improvements are driven primarily by the reduction in unplanned outages, reflecting the effectiveness of the Generation Recovery Plan and the benefits of disciplined maintenance execution.

Between 02 and 08 January 2026, average unplanned outages decreased to 7 705MW from last year’s level of 13 876MW. This represents a significant improvement of 6 171MW.

Over the same period, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) further reduced to 16.02%, a significant improvement of 12.80% compared to 28.82% recorded during the same period last year.

During the same timeframe, the average Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF), also referred to as planned maintenance, was at 9.32%, compared with 14.72% in the previous financial year. The reduced level follows Eskom’s intensive maintenance programme implemented in the last financial year, exceeding historical norms over the past three years, to restore fleet reliability. The impact of this strategy is evident in the continued decline in unplanned outages.

Planned maintenance remains aligned with Eskom’s maintenance schedule and supports ongoing efforts to enhance plant reliability, improve operational stability, and strengthen long‑term fleet performance.

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, 7 305MW is currently in cold reserve due to excess capacity and lower demand during the holiday season.

For a third consecutive week, no diesel was used, resulting in zero expenditure over the past three weeks. Diesel spending is now R2.959 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 238 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 3 040MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 12 January 2026. Today’s evening peak demand is forecast at 21 511MW, supported by 26 861MW 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 23.69%, reflecting a week-on-week improvement of 0.14% and remaining below last year’s 25.12%.

• Year to date, planned maintenance was at an average of 5 333MW, accounting for 11.34% of total generation capacity, slightly lower than last week’s 11.39% and lower than the 12.39% over the same period last year.

• Between 1 April 2025 and 08 January 2026, Eskom generated 1 049.38GWh from Open- Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, incurring diesel costs of R6.230 billion (slightly reduced from the previous week due to month-end reconciliation). This is lower than the 1 488.11GWh produced during the same period last year at a cost of R9.189 billion. Notably, diesel consumption has been declining steadily month-on-month since May 2025, and the load factor for the full month of December was 0.26%, and it is currently 0% month-to-date.

• The year-to-date OCGT load factor has further decreased to 4.53%, reflecting a 0.11% improvement from the previous week. This is lower than the 6.42% recorded during the same period last year and remains below the set target.

Progress in Ending Load Reduction: 106 471 customers no longer affected during peak periods

Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, persistent adverse weather, together with fires in the Coega, Humansdorp and Sarah Baartman areas, has resulted in an increase in faults across Eskom’s Distribution network.

Eskom teams continue to diligently restore power safely and efficiently in affected areas, while prioritising the safety of both its staff and the public throughout the restoration process.

At the same time, illegal connections and meter tampering continue to damage infrastructure and pose serious safety risks. As a temporary measure, Eskom is maintaining load reduction in high‑risk areas to protect communities and the network.

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 75 736 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 13.11% 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 83. This includes 13 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (35% of the target of 37), 37 in Gauteng (29% of the target of 126), and 7 in the Eastern and Western Cape (47% of the target of 15). Nationally, the 83 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 106 471 customers are now benefiting, comprising 28 992 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 48 876 in Gauteng, and 9 314 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, 16 196 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, 509 454 customers out of 577 347, equivalent to 88.24% of the target, still need to be cleared by March 2026.

• Free Basic Electricity (FBE):

Nationally, registrations remain unchanged again this week at 579 360 customers. This reflects a 19.5% increase from the baseline of 485 000 customers and represents 27.6% 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 will provide its next update on Friday, 16 January 2026, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS