Johannesburg: During the current financial year, Eskom has ensured a consistent electricity supply for over 98% of the time due to the ongoing technical improvements achieved under the power utility’s Generation Recovery Plan. As a result of this work, the power system continues to be stable, resilient, and reliable with the plan yielding sustained grid stability and ongoing efficiencies.
According to South African Government News Agency, the country has gone 161 consecutive days without loadshedding, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 23 October 2025. Generation performance has improved significantly, with the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) having reached 70% and surpassing this level more than 24 times since August 2025.
From 1 to 23 October 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF)-which measures the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages-reduced to 22.85%, reflecting a 2.81% improvement compared to 25.66% during the same period last year. The Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF), which accounts for planned maintenance, increased to 12.55%, up from 12.51% recorded the previous year. The increased planned maintenance is aligned with Eskom’s maintenance schedule and ongoing efforts to improve and maintain plant reliability and operational consistency.
During the period between 10 and 23 October 2025, Eskom recorded an average of 9,954MW in unplanned outages-an improvement from 11,155MW during the same period last year. This year-on-year reduction of 1,201MW in breakdowns reflects the growing reliability and resilience of the generation fleet. From 1 to 23 October 2025, the EAF stood at 64.28%, an improvement from the 61.44% recorded during the same period last year, showing a 2.84% improvement due to reduced unplanned outages and additional generation capacity.
From 1 April to 23 October 2025, diesel expenditure remained consistently below budget, reflecting reduced reliance on the country’s diesel-powered Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) fleet, with the year-to-date load factor further decreasing to 6.06%. According to Eskom, this trend highlights ongoing efficiency improvements, a significant reduction in dependence on diesel generation, and a sustained shift toward more cost-effective primary generation sources.
To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 1,715MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 27 October 2025, and throughout the coming week. Eskom published the Summer Outlook on 5 September 2025, covering the period 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026, which forecasts no loadshedding due to the structural progress in plant performance as a result of the ongoing implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan.