SA’s Power Grid Shows Remarkable Stability with 315 Days Without Load Shedding

South africa: South Africa's power grid has continued to show stability, with Eskom recording over 300 days without load shedding. 'South Africa's power grid continues to demonstrate a sustained period of stability, with Eskom's generation fleet delivering consistent improvements and strong operational performance,' the power utility said. According to South African Government News Agency, Eskom stated that the country has experienced 315 consecutive days without an interruption in supply, with only 26 hours of load shedding recorded in April and May 2025. The progress made is driven by the Generation Recovery Plan, which has resulted in a 10.80% improvement in the Energy Availability Factor (EAF), now standing at 65.37% for the financial year to date compared to two years ago. Eskom highlighted that year-on-year diesel expenditure has been reduced by 61.22%. 'These gains underline Eskom's commitment to securing long-term energy sustainability and supporting South Africa's economic growth,' the utility comm ented, adding that the EAF remains consistently above 65%. Between 20 and 26 March 2026, the average unplanned outages recorded were at 11,265MW, showing a notable improvement from the 14,122MW experienced during the same week last year, a reduction of 2,857MW. 'This underlines the ongoing gains in reliability across the fleet.' For the financial year to date (1 April 2025 to 26 March 2026), diesel expenditure is R10.098 billion, significantly lower than during the same period last year, reflecting a 61.22% reduction year on year. 'Over the past week, diesel usage contributed 0.49 GWh of electricity to the grid at a cost of R2.78 million, resulting in a weekly load factor of 0.085%. This diesel usage was primarily associated with commissioning tests conducted during the return to service of Unit 11 at Gourikwa Power Station following a major outage,' Eskom noted. To further ensure a stable electricity supply, Eskom will bring 2,995MW of generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 30 Mar ch. Eskom published its Summer Outlook on 5 September 2025, covering the period 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026, which projects no load shedding due to sustained improvements in plant performance from the Generation Recovery Plan. Additionally, the utility is making progress in ending load reduction, with 210,453 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.