Eskom
By Lerato Mpembe
Eskom announced on Friday that loadshedding would remain suspended until further notice, thanks to improved generation capacity and a stable power system. This marks 30 consecutive days without loadshedding, a significant milestone for South Africa’s power utility. Eskom has urged consumers to protect the grid by avoiding illegal connections and using electricity efficiently, especially as winter approaches.
A Stable Power System and Strategic Maintenance
Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, highlighted the utility’s robust performance. “Emergency reserves are adequate and will continue to be utilised strategically to meet peak demand where necessary,” she said. The power system’s stability is supported by ongoing planned maintenance, which currently accounts for 15.41% of generation capacity—8,974MW. This represents a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year, reflecting Eskom’s commitment to enhancing fleet reliability for the anticipated spike in winter demand.
The high level of maintenance is part of a proactive strategy to ensure compliance with environmental and regulatory requirements while preparing for colder months. Eskom is set to announce its winter outlook later in April 2025, which will provide further insight into its plans to maintain a stable power supply during the high-demand season.
Key Performance Improvements
Eskom’s efforts have yielded measurable results. From 14 to 17 April 2025, average unplanned outages dropped to 12,862MW, an improvement of 1,140MW compared to the same period in 2024. Year-to-date (1 to 17 April 2025), unplanned outages averaged 13,075MW, with a marginal reduction of 202MW as of 18 April, now standing at 11,362MW. This is a significant achievement, as unplanned outages have decreased by approximately 2.7% year-on-year, with the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) improving to 27.48% from 30.15% last year.
Available generation capacity currently stands at 27,299MW, well above the forecasted peak demand of 23,593MW for Friday evening. Eskom plans to return 3,948MW to service by Tuesday, 22 April 2025, further strengthening the grid.
The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) for 2025 year-to-date is 56.63%, slightly below last year’s 57.67%, primarily due to the increased focus on planned maintenance. However, this investment in maintenance is expected to pay off by reducing future outages.
Reduced Reliance on Diesel and OCGT Usage
Eskom has also made strides in optimising its use of Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs). From 1 to 17 April 2025, the OCGT load factor was 20.42%, down 7.45% from the previous week but higher than the 7.85% recorded last year. For the week of 11 to 17 April, the OCGT load factor fell to 9.78%, a sharp decline from the 29.95% of the prior week, signalling a shift away from costly diesel-powered generation.
Despite the higher OCGT load factor compared to 2024, Eskom spent R1.67 billion on fuel for OCGTs from 1 to 17 April 2025, generating 284.40GWh—more than double the 109.41GWh generated in the same period last year. As maintenance activities taper off, this expenditure is expected to decrease, easing financial pressure on the utility.
Protecting Transformers and Combating Illegal Connections
With loadshedding suspended and electricity demand rising, Eskom has called on the public to help protect critical infrastructure, particularly transformers, which are at risk of overloading. “While loadshedding remains suspended and electricity demand continues to rise, Eskom urges the public to help prevent transformer overloads and related equipment failures, which can result in explosions and prolonged outages,” Mokwena said.
Illegal connections and electricity theft remain significant challenges, often leading to transformer failures and safety hazards. Eskom encourages consumers to avoid illegal connections, purchase electricity only from accredited vendors, and regularise their usage. Eligible households can register for free basic electricity through their local municipalities.
The public is also urged to report illegal activities impacting Eskom’s infrastructure to the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323. These measures are crucial to maintaining a reliable power supply, especially as winter demand increases.
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