- Eskom’s unplanned losses from breakdowns remain significantly below the 10 000MW threshold, recorded at 7 394MW.
- In addition, the open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), or diesel generators, maintained a load factor of just 0.001% for the second consecutive week.
The sustained technical improvements have ensured a reliable power system, meeting more than 97% of electricity demand since the beginning of the financial year. South Africa has experienced no loadshedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 11 September 2025.
Between 05 September and 11 September 2025, planned maintenance increased as Eskom enters the summer period, averaging 4 624MW. During this period, the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) fluctuated consistently between 69% and 73%, with the month-to-date average further remaining above the 70% mark and currently at 71.64%.
This upward trend reflects growing stability and improved reliability across the generation fleet. These figures exclude Kusile Unit 6, which has been contributing 720MW to the national grid since 23 March 2025. Although not yet in commercial operation, the unit is expected to reach that milestone by September 2025.
To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 2 835MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 15 September 2025, and throughout the coming week.
Between 1 April and 11 September 2025, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which reflects the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, further decreased to 26.53%. This represents a week-on-week improvement of approximately 0.4%, although it remains about 1.2% higher than the 25.38% recorded during the same period last year.
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.
The available generation capacity currently stands at 28 776MW, while tonight’s electricity demand is expected to reach 25 181MW. The current capacity is sufficient to meet both today’s demand and anticipated requirements over the weekend.
Key Performance Highlights:
- Unplanned outages averaged 8 826MW over the past week, significantly lower than the 10 915MW recorded during the same period last year. This marks a notable year-on-year reduction of breakdowns by 2 089MW.
- Year-to-date, planned maintenance has averaged 5 243MW, accounting for 11.17% of total generation capacity. This reflects a slight decrease from the previous week and a 0.7% rise compared to the same period last year.
- The year-to-date EAF further increased to 61.8%, excluding the 720MW contribution from Kusile Unit 6. This figure is below the 63.61% recorded during the same period last year, mainly due to a 1.2% and 0.7% YTD increase in unplanned and planned maintenance, respectively, compared to the previous year.
- From 1 April to 11 September 2025, Eskom spent approximately R5.9283 billion on fuel for its Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, generating 1 000.91GWh of electricity. While there was no notable increase in expenditure over the past week, the electricity generated represents a significant rise compared to the 578.14GWh produced during the same period last year. It is important to note that diesel expenditure is not consistent throughout the year but fluctuates seasonally in response to system demand and operational requirements.
- The year-to-date load factor for OCGTs has decreased to 7.45%, reflecting a 0.33% decrease compared to the previous week. This figure remains higher than the 4.30% recorded during the same period last year.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
