Eskom’s stable power system positions it to meet festive season demand, with unplanned outages down 1 805MW, EAF rising, and diesel use continuing to decline

Friday, 12 December 2025: The national power system remains stable, with demand consistently met. Month-on-month improvements in generation performance underscore the effectiveness of the Generation Recovery Plan and the strengthening of Eskom’s fleet. These sustained gains position Eskom to meet demand over the festive season and support a more secure energy outlook.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF)—which measures the percentage of time the generation fleet is available to produce electricity—is at 66.52% for the month-to-date of December 2025, a notable increase of 8.33% from 58.19% in the same period last year.

Year-to-date, EAF further increased to 63.8%, with the fleet achieving or exceeding the 70% mark on 39 occasions. These figures underscore both recovery and sustained improvement in EAF performance, reinforcing energy security and grid stability.

The continued improvement in EAF has significantly reduced Eskom’s reliance on costly diesel generation, allowing the company to focus more on cost-effective primary energy sources. Additionally, 7 118MW is currently on cold reserve due to excess capacity.

Over the last week, diesel expenditure was only R0.3 million due to environmental correlation tests on one Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) unit at Ankerlig to meet statutory compliance requirements. The continued significant minimal usage of diesel highlights both the financial savings and operational improvements achieved through Eskom’s turnaround.

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

For the period from 5 to 11 December 2025, the average Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF)—which measures the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages—further reduced to 21.82%, a decrease of 3.88% from 25.70% during the same period last year.

The average Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF) for the period from 5 December to 11 December 2025 was 10.30%, which is lower than the 15.41% recorded last year. This planned maintenance aligns with Eskom’s maintenance schedule and ongoing efforts to enhance plant reliability and operational consistency.

Between 5 December and 11 December 2025, Eskom recorded an average of 10 505MW in unplanned outages, an improvement from 12 311MW during the same period last year. This year-on-year reduction of 1 805MW in breakdowns highlights the continued growing reliability and resilience of the generation fleet.

South Africa has now experienced 210 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 2 960MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 15 December 2025. Today’s evening peak demand is forecast at 22 157MW, supported by 26 707MW 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 24.3%, reflecting a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.07% and remaining below last year’s 24.98%.

• Planned maintenance was at an average of 5 380MW, accounting for 11.45% of total generation capacity, lower than last week’s 11.48% and lower than the 11.82% over the same period last year.

• Between 1 April and 11 December 2025, Eskom generated 1,042.91 GWh from OCGT plants, incurring diesel costs of R6.191 billion (slightly reduced from the previous week due to month-end reconciliation). This is lower than the 1,215.09 GWh produced during the same period last year. Notably, diesel consumption has been declining steadily month-on-month since May 2025, and the load factor for December to date is 0.01%, linked to compliance burn this week.

• The year-to-date OCGT load factor has decreased to 4.99%, reflecting a 0.14% improvement from the previous week. This is lower than the 5.82% recorded during the same period last year and remains below the set target

Progress Toward Ending Load Reduction

Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist, damaging infrastructure and creating serious safety risks. As a result, Eskom is implementing load reduction as a temporary measure in high-risk areas to protect both communities and the network.

Eskom has launched a phased programme to end load reduction by 2027, targeting 971 feeders and benefiting 1.69 million customers out of its 7.2 million customer base across all provinces. Key initiatives include smart meters, Distributed Energy Resources, and expanded Free Basic Electricity.

Progress on key interventions

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

• Smart Meter Rollout:
  Eskom has installed and uploaded 64,772 smart meters on its system for feeders affected by load reduction, with more than 90% of these installations concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal. The goal is to install 577,347 meters by March 2026, with full completion expected in 2027. Current progress stands at 11.22%, and installations are continuing to ensure the target is met.
  
  
• Feeders Removed from Load Reduction:
  Eight feeders have been removed from load reduction, seven in Limpopo and one in Mpumalanga, against provincial targets of 24 and 13, respectively, by March 2026, and a national target of 271 feeders. This represents 29.17% completion for Limpopo, 7.69% for Mpumalanga, and 2.95% nationally.
  
  
• Customers Benefiting
  The removal of these feeders has benefited approximately 24,988 customers—13,445 in Limpopo and 11,543 in Mpumalanga. This progress reduces the number of customers still targeted for removal from load reduction to 114,009 in Limpopo and 95,336 in Mpumalanga by year-end, while nationally, 552,359 customers (95.67%) remain targeted for removal by the end of the financial year (March 2026).
  
  
• Free Basic Electricity (FBE):
  Nationally, registrations have grown from 485,000 to 579,360 customers, an increase of 19.46%, representing 27.59% of the 2.1 million customers eligible.

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, 19 December 2025, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS