Eskom’s power system remains stable, recording year‑on‑year gains with the Energy Availability Factor up 12.57% and unplanned outages down 5 506MW

Friday, 02 January 2026: Eskom’s power system remains stable and continues to meet electricity demand, supported by sustained and measurable improvements in generation performance despite the heavy rainfall experienced in December. The Generation Recovery Plan is delivering clear results, and together with the intensive planned maintenance carried out over the past financial year, has strengthened the generation fleet, improved reliability, and enhanced Eskom’s overall operational resilience.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) was 69.14% in December 2025, representing a significant year-on-year improvement of 12.57% from 56.57% recorded over the same period in 2024. Year-to-date, EAF has increased to 64.35%, with the fleet achieving or exceeding the 70% benchmark on 49 occasions. 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 26 December 2025 and 01 January 2026, average unplanned outages declined to 6 822MW, less than half of last year’s level of 12 328MW, which was almost double the current figure. This represents an improvement of 5 506MW. Today, unplanned outages stand at 6 662MW, a level last recorded in 2019, signalling a sustained and meaningful improvement in generation performance.

Over the same period, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) further declined to 14.06%, a significant improvement of 12.06% compared to 26.12% recorded during the same period last year.

During the same timeframe, the average Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF) stood at 9.41%, compared with 19.08% in the previous financial year. The reduced level of planned maintenance follows Eskom’s intensive maintenance programme implemented 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 dependence on expensive diesel generation, enabling a stronger focus on more cost‑effective primary energy sources. In addition, 13 675MW is currently in cold reserve due to excess capacity and lower demand during the holiday season.

For the second consecutive week, no diesel was used, resulting in zero expenditure over the past two weeks. 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 231 consecutive days without an interrupted supply, with only 26 hours of loadshedding recorded in April and May during this financial year.

To maintain a stable electricity supply, Eskom will bring 5 585MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 05 January 2026. Today’s evening peak demand is forecast at 19 545MW, supported by 23 894MW 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 23.83%, reflecting a week-on-week improvement of 1.2% and remaining below last year’s 25.03%.

• Year to date, planned maintenance was at an average of 5 355MW, accounting for 11.39% of total generation capacity, slightly lower than last week’s 11.44% and lower than the 12.33% over the same period last year.

• Between 1 April 2025 and 01 January 2026, Eskom generated 1 049.38GWh from OCGT plants, incurring diesel costs of R6.232 billion. This is lower than the 1 410.59GWh produced during the same period last year at a cost of R8.743 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%.

• The year-to-date OCGT load factor has further decreased to 4.64%, reflecting a 0.12% improvement from the previous week. This is lower than the 6.24% recorded during the same period last year and remains below the set target.

Progress in Ending Load Reduction: 95,989 customers are no longer affected during peak periods

Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, adverse festive‑season weather led to a sharp increase in faults across Eskom’s Distribution network, with reported incidents rising by about 40% compared to the same period last year. While supply has been restored in most areas, some communities remain without electricity due to severely damaged infrastructure. Eskom teams have been working throughout this period and continue to restore supply safely and as quickly as possible.

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 support.

 Progress on key interventions

• Smart Meter Rollout:

Eskom has installed and uploaded 73,523 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 12.73% 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 70. This includes 13 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (35% of the target of 37), 37 in Gauteng (29% of the target of 126), 7 in the Eastern and Western Cape (47% of the target of 15), and 13 in KwaZulu‑Natal and the Free State (14% of the target of 94). Nationally, the 70 feeders removed represent 26% of the overall 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 95,989 customers are now benefiting, comprising 28,992 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 48,876 in Gauteng, 9,314 in the Eastern and Western Cape, and 8,807 in KwaZulu‑Natal and the Free State. The remaining customers still due for load reduction removal by financial year‑end are 205,344 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 96,606 in Gauteng, 16,188 in the Eastern and Western Cape, 119,039 in the Free State and KwaZulu‑Natal, and 44,181 in the Northern Cape and Northwest. Overall, 481,358 customers out of 577,347, equivalent to 83.37% of the target, still need to be cleared by March 2026.

• Free Basic Electricity (FBE):

Nationally, registrations remain unchanged 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, 09 January 2026, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS