Improved generation performance continues to drive enhanced power system reliability and long-term energy security

Friday, 06 February 2026: Eskom’s power system continues to demonstrate sustained stability, underpinned by consistent progress through the Generation Recovery Plan and improvements in the Energy Availability Factor to secure South Africa’s long-term energy future.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has further increased to 65.03% for the financial year to date (1 April 2025 to 5 February 2026), underscoring the progress being made in restoring fleet reliability and strengthening system stability. The generation fleet has now achieved or exceeded the 70% EAF threshold on an increasing number of occasions, reaching 66 instances to date (unaudited figures).

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

Between 30 January and 5 February 2026, average unplanned outages decreased to 9 177MW from last year’s level at this time of 13 440MW. This represents a significant improvement of 4 263MW.

Over the same period, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) reduced to 19.07%, a significant improvement of 8.91% compared to 27.98% recorded during the same period last year.

During the same period, Eskom’s Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF)—essentially planned maintenance—averaged 10.03%, compared to 13.72% in the previous financial year. This reduction is consistent with Eskom’s maintenance schedule and reflects our strategy to enhance plant reliability, strengthen operational stability, and support long‑term fleet performance.

The reduced maintenance requirements are the result of the intensive maintenance programme implemented last year, which exceeded historical levels over the past three years and focused on 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 854MW is currently in cold reserve due to excess capacity.

No diesel was utilised during the past week, resulting in an expenditure of R0.0 million.

The total diesel expenditure is now R4.81 billion lower than at the same point last year. This sustained reduction reflects both significant cost savings and ongoing improvements in operational performance driven by Eskom’s turnaround initiatives. Overall, the trend underscores the increasing stability, efficiency and resilience of the power system.

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

South Africa has now experienced 266 consecutive days without an interrupted supply, with only 26 hours of loadshedding recorded in April and May 2025, during this financial year.

To further ensure a stable electricity supply, Eskom will bring 3 810MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 9 February 2026. Evening peak demand is forecast at 23 596MW, with 26 843MW of available capacity, providing a healthy reserve 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

• For the financial year to date, the UCLF has further declined to 23.17%, reflecting a week-on-week improvement of 0.05% and remaining well below last year’s 25.42%.

• For the financial year to date, planned maintenance was at an average of 5 354MW, accounting for 11.38% of total generation capacity, slightly less than last week’s 11.41% and lower than the 12.5% over the same period last year.

• Between 1 April 2025 and 05 February 2026, Eskom generated 1 049.67 GWh from Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants at a diesel cost of R6.231 billion. This is significantly lower than the 1 813.03 GWh generated during the same period last year (1 April 2024 to 05 February 2025), which resulted in costs of R11.044 billion. This represents a 42.1% reduction in energy generated from OCGTs and a 43.6% decrease in diesel expenditure year-on-year. Notably, diesel usage has declined consistently on a month-on-month basis since May 2025, and the month-to-date load factor stands at 0.00%.

• The year-to-date OCGT load factor has further decreased to 4.12%, reflecting a 0.09% improvement from the previous week. This is lower than the 7.11% recorded during the same period last year and remains below the set target.

Progress in Ending Load Reduction: 140 327 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.

Progress on key interventions

• Smart Meter Rollout:

To date, Eskom has installed 299 236 smart meters nationwide, of which 103 873 (approximately 34.7%) have been deployed on load reduction feeders. These installations empower customers with greater visibility and control over their electricity consumption, support accurate billing, and significantly enhance the overall user experience.

Of the smart meters installed on load reduction feeders, approximately 90% are concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu‑Natal, where network risk is highest.

The phased programme to eliminate load reduction programme targets the installation of 577 347 smart meters on load reduction feeders by March 2026, with full rollout on these feeders planned for completion in 2027. Current implementation represents approximately 16.63% of the total end‑state target, with installations progressing steadily in line with the load reduction elimination programme’s phased rollout plan.

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 116. This includes:

• 13 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (35% of the target of 37),
  • 40 in Gauteng (32% of the target of 126),
  • 9 in the Eastern and Western Cape (60% of the target of 15),
  • 54 in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (57% of the target of 94).

Nationally, the 116 feeders removed represent about 49% of the overall year-end target of 271 feeders to be removed from load reduction by March 2026.

• Customers benefiting from the elimination of the load reduction programme

With the feeders removed from load reduction to date, an estimated 140 237 customers are now benefiting, comprising 28 992 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 49 922 in Gauteng, and 10 788 in the Eastern and Western Cape, 50 535 in KwaZulu-Natal. The remaining customers still due for load‑reduction removal by financial year‑end are 207 344 in both Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 95 490 in Gauteng, 14 722 in both Eastern and Western Cape, 77 311 in the Free State and KwaZulu‑Natal, and 44 181 in the Northern Cape and North West provinces.

Overall, 437 110 customers, representing 75.71% of the 577 347 target, still need to be removed from load reduction by March 2026.

• Free Basic Electricity (FBE):

Nationally, registrations are at 579 360 customers. The FBE beneficiaries figure fluctuates monthly, and the average for this financial year remains at 582 952 beneficiaries.The 579 360 figure reflects a 19.4% 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 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, 13 February 2026, or communicate any significant developments as they occur.

ENDS