Johannesburg:Eskom is making significant strides in its Generation Recovery Plan, having recorded more than 540 days without load shedding.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has improved to 68.16%, with approximately 6,481MW of generation capacity recovered compared to three years ago. This improvement has strengthened the power system, enabling Eskom to focus on sustaining reliability and supporting economic growth.
The power utility also reported a 6.05% year-on-year improvement in unplanned outages, translating to around 2,720MW of generation capacity restored compared to the previous year. Over the past three years, average unplanned outages have decreased significantly by approximately 7,076MW, from 16,167MW to 9,092MW.
Eskom's reliance on diesel-fired Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) has reduced, leading to a significant decrease in diesel expenditure. The financial year-to-date diesel expenditure stands at R1.26 billion, which is R4.81 billion lower than the R6.073 billion spent over the same period last year.
Currently, Eskom has about 6,855MW of available generation capacity above current demand, enhancing system resilience and providing opportunities for supporting energy-intensive industries and increased export sales.
Eskom's plans to eliminate load reduction by March 2027 are also progressing, with approximately 1.6 million previously affected customers returning to normal electricity supply, reducing the load reduction footprint by 94%.
The combination of increased generation availability, lower unplanned outages, reduced diesel spending, and the near elimination of load reduction showcases the structural improvements in Eskom's power system. The focus now is on sustaining these gains and converting improved generation performance into capacity that supports South Africa's economic growth.