Power utility Eskom says sustained grid stability over the past year has restored national confidence and saved billions in diesel costs.
Image: FILE
Eskom says South Africa has reached a major energy milestone after recording 365 consecutive days without load shedding for the first time since 2018.
The utility announced the “milestone” in a media statement on Saturday.
“At 00:01 today, Eskom delivered for South Africa one full year without a single second of loadshedding, a milestone last achieved eight years ago in September 2018.”
Eskom said the achievement marked a decisive turning point and a structural shift from a recovering grid to a stable, high-performing power system.
“While the legacy of loadshedding once constrained economic activity and strained South African households, 365 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply represent more than operational progress, it is a restoration of national confidence,” it said in a statement.
Eskom said the sustained reliability over the past three years had saved R26.9 billion in diesel costs and ensured it successfully met 100% of the country’s electricity demand.
Eskom board chairperson Mteto Nyati said the moment had been three years in the making since the inception of the generation recovery plan.
“Eskom’s employees have again delivered using their deep technical and institutional capability built over decades of public investment that remains a critical part of our national capacity, which will now increasingly focus on delivering cleaner sources of energy.”
“The Eskom board and I are proud of the leadership demonstrated by the Eskom executive team led by Dan Marokane and the perseverance and focus of Eskom employees following the state capture years,” Nyati said.
Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane said South Africa now had a stable electricity platform to enable an orderly transformation of the industry, as no energy market liberalisation in the world had been successful without a stable incumbent.
“The delivery of this milestone again demonstrates that Eskom’s true progress is rooted in the expertise of its 40 000 people, our Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other partners. Government intervention through the Energy Action Plan has also been an important factor towards the progress we have made.
“Eskom has the scale and human capital experience to partner with investors to help deliver South Africa’s R2.23 trillion Integrated Resource Plan for investment in the energy sector,” Marokane said.
Meanwhile, Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, said the utility was a skills-based engineering organisation and morale was at an all-time high as it reached the milestone.
“The belief in ourselves and our pride has returned.”
“Today represents the hardest-won progress in Eskom’s recent history and establishes a stable platform for continued performance improvement, achieved through consistent execution of maintenance and improving the reliability of each unit across the system.”
“We are ready to participate in a competitive power generation marketplace,” Nxumalo added.
Load shedding is when the power utility deliberately switches off electricity in certain areas for a set time because there isn’t enough supply for everyone, helping prevent a total grid collapse.
Despite the end of load shedding, some areas still face load reductions.
Load reduction is the targeted limiting of electricity in high-demand areas or during peak times to ease pressure on the grid.
Meanwhile, on sustained improvements, Eskom said rising Energy Availability Factor (EAF) and declining Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), also known as breakdowns, were accompanied by a sharp reduction in diesel expenditure, demonstrating improved plant reliability and reduced reliance on emergency reserves.
It said that since the start of the generation recovery plan in March 2023, including the Energy Availability Factor (EAF), which improved from 54.56% to 65.16%, an increase of 10.6%, and unplanned outages declined from 32.34% to 22.88%, a reduction of 9.46%.
“This signals fewer breakdowns and more reliable plants.”
It said the reliance on diesel-powered emergency generation declined significantly, with expenditure falling from approximately R33.3 billion to R6.4 billion (pending finalisation of the audit process), a reduction of R26.9 billion (about 81%).
“These gains are underpinned by a strengthened maintenance programme and the disciplined implementation of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan.”
“Building on earlier maintenance levels, Eskom intensified planned maintenance to restore long-term fleet reliability, while improving outage planning, reducing unit trips, and strengthening operational discipline across people, plant and processes,” Eskom said.
It said the consistent baseload electricity supply and improved generation capacity had enabled Eskom to support energy-intensive industries in distress, particularly the ferrochrome sector.
“These targeted interventions have helped sustain industrial operations and prevent job losses, while providing businesses with greater certainty and supporting industrial production and investment.”
“This progress underscores Eskom’s role in enabling economic growth, strengthening competitiveness and supporting long-term investment across the South African economy.”
The power utility said in parallel, a more stable baseload fleet had enhanced the system’s ability to accommodate variable renewable energy, particularly during morning and evening peak demand periods, thereby supporting a more flexible and resilient power system.
Eskom said the operational improvements had also translated into financial progress.
It said sustained performance gains and cost discipline contributed to S&P Global Ratings upgrading Eskom’s credit rating for the first time in more than a decade, signalling improved confidence in the utility’s recovery trajectory.
“Eskom also recorded a 2.1% year-on-year improvement in pre-tax profit and a 1.6% increase in EBITDA in FY2026, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency and cost discipline (subject to finalisation of the audit).”
Looking ahead, Eskom said it remained focused on sustaining these gains while supporting the long-term transition of the power system.
“In line with national energy policy, Eskom is applying a rigorous, evidence-based approach to the timing and readiness of new generation capacity. This will inform decisions on the phased shutdown, repowering and repurposing of older coal-fired stations in a manner that safeguards security of supply while advancing emissions reduction and just transition objectives.”
It said that decision is expected in the second quarter of FY2027 (between July 1, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2026).
“This approach ensures that recent operational gains are preserved and that sufficient baseload capacity is maintained to support economic growth and investment.”
“Additionally, Eskom is applying the same disciplined approach to improve affordability and end load reduction, with more than half a million households across the country already benefiting from Eskom’s targeted load reduction programme.”
According to Eskom, this means many communities that previously experienced periods of load reduction are now receiving a continuous electricity supply.
“Notably, both the Northern Cape and Western Cape have fully eradicated load reduction, demonstrating the real impact of these efforts on people’s daily lives.”
Eskom said it acknowledged the continued support of the Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, government, the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) and law enforcement agencies, whose coordinated efforts have been instrumental in stabilising the system and protecting critical energy infrastructure.
“Eskom is translating strengthened performance into tangible results. A more stable and predictable power supply is reducing disruption, enabling businesses to plan with greater certainty and supporting an environment where industry and investment can grow across South Africa and beyond. This, in turn, contributes to a more inclusive and resilient future for South Africa,” it said.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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