The utility reported that its Energy Availability Factor increased to 63.54% for the financial year to date, up from 58.08% during the same period last year, reflecting sustained gains under its turnaround strategy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eskom said the improvement is supported by a reduction in unplanned outages and more consistent performance across its generation fleet.<\/p>\n
Between June 12 and June 18, average unplanned outages fell to 10 640MW, a drop of more than 4 600MW compared to the same period in 2025. The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor improved to 22.19% from 31.83% last year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The utility also highlighted progress in reducing reliance on diesel. Year-to-date diesel expenditure stands at approximately $34 million (R640.27 million), down significantly from about $240 million (R4.515 billion) in the previous year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eskom said the reduction reflects improved fleet performance and reduced dependence on diesel-fired generation, with the Open Cycle Gas Turbine load factor declining to 1.30%, well below the annual target.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since May 16, 2025, South Africa has recorded 399 consecutive days without load shedding, underscoring improved system reliability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On the demand side, Eskom confirmed that 886 717 households, representing about 52% of targeted customers, have been restored to normal supply under its Load Reduction Elimination Programme.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The utility aims to eliminate load reduction entirely in most provinces by October 2026, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal expected to follow in 2027.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eskom said progress has been supported by targeted network interventions, although challenges remain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Illegal connections and meter tampering continue to strain infrastructure in some areas, leading to safety risks and delays in system improvements.<\/p>\n
To address this, Eskom has accelerated its smart meter rollout, with nearly 1.8 million meters installed nationwide. About 409 011 of these have been deployed in high-risk load reduction areas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, the rollout has faced resistance, including security threats and work stoppages, delaying more than 122 000 planned installations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eskom also reported that 484 feeders, or about 50% of its target, have been removed from load reduction, benefiting hundreds of thousands of customers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Planned maintenance remains a key focus, with the Planned Capacity Loss Factor averaging 10.94%, higher than the previous year, as part of efforts to improve long-term reliability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The utility said it will bring 3 223MW of additional capacity online ahead of peak demand, with evening demand forecast at 26 387MW against available capacity of 31 533MW.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eskom reiterated that its Winter Outlook projects no load shedding for the period through August 31, 2026, supported by continued gains in plant performance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The utility said its improving performance reflects both operational progress and strategic reforms aimed at strengthening SA\u2019s power system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37569,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-37567","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Eskom, South Africa's (SA) power producer, says stronger generation performance and declining outages are driving improved system stability as electricity demand rises during winter.","published_date":"","news_description":"Eskom, South Africa's (SA) power producer, says stronger generation performance and declining outages are driving improved system stability as electricity demand rises during winter.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37570,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37567\/revisions\/37570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=37567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}