- EAF strengthens to 65.24% for the financial year to date.
- Unplanned outages decline 41.8% year on year, UCLF improves to 17.75% for the week.
- Diesel expenditure down by R6.57bn year on year, reflecting improved fleet performance.
South Africa’s power utility Eskom has reported continued gains in generation performance, with the Energy Availability Factor reaching 65.24% for the financial year to date from 1 April 2025 to 26 February 2026. The upward trajectory signals sustained progress in restoring fleet reliability and improving overall grid stability.
For the week of 20 to 26 February 2026, average unplanned outages declined to 8 520MW, compared to 14 626MW during the same period last year. This represents a reduction of 6 106MW, or 41.8%. Over the same week, the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor stood at 17.75%, down 12.66% from 30.41% a year earlier.
Planned maintenance also showed improvement. The Planned Capacity Loss Factor averaged 10.70% during the week, compared to 15.07% in the previous financial year. For the financial year to date, the UCLF has decreased to 23.01%, reflecting a week on week improvement of 0.11% and remaining below last year’s 25.48%.
Average planned maintenance for the financial year to date stands at 5 334MW, or 11.34% of total generation capacity. This is broadly in line with last week’s 11.35% and below the 12.69% recorded during the same period last year. In addition, 4 432MW is currently held in cold reserve due to excess capacity.
Diesel usage continues to trend lower. Over the past week, diesel contributed 12.11GWh to the grid at a cost of R72.64m, resulting in a weekly load factor of 2.11%. For the financial year to date, diesel expenditure is R6.57bn lower than during the same period last year, a reduction of 50.96%.
Between 1 April 2025 and 26 February 2026, Eskom generated 1 064.29GWh from Open Cycle Gas Turbine plants at a diesel cost of R6.318bn. This compares with 2 153.87GWh generated in the corresponding period last year at a cost of R12.884bn. Diesel usage has declined consistently month on month since May 2025, with the month to date load factor at 0.686% and the year to date OCGT load factor reduced to 3.91%, down from 7.92% in the prior year and below the set target.
The recent diesel usage reflects the dispatch of Independent Power Producer OCGT units under existing take or pay contractual obligations. These agreements were concluded during a period of severe supply constraints to secure guaranteed minimum usage levels. Under the contracts, Eskom is required to pay for committed capacity regardless of utilisation.
Looking ahead, diesel dispatch over the coming weeks is expected to align primarily with these contractual commitments. As system performance improves and the EAF strengthens further, Eskom’s operational focus remains on deploying the most cost effective primary energy sources while maintaining grid stability and managing legacy obligations.
To support supply security, Eskom will return 3 483MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 2 March 2026. Peak demand is forecast at 23 930MW, with available capacity projected at 28 743MW, providing a healthy reserve margin above expected demand
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
