- Eskom adds 4 400 MW of available capacity year on year as generation performance improves.
- Energy availability and maintenance discipline show sustained gains entering 2026.
- Improved power reliability supports investor confidence and credit rating upgrade.
South Africa has returned from the 2025 holiday period with its most stable and predictable electricity system in five years, according to Eskom, as the utility reports significant progress under its Generation Recovery Plan.
The plan, which commenced in April 2023, has delivered a structurally stronger generation fleet entering 2026, with an additional 4 400 MW of capacity available compared to the same period last year. Eskom says the improved stability is reflected not only in higher generation performance but also in reduced emergency interventions and stronger maintenance discipline across the fleet.
Since implementation of the recovery plan, the Energy Availability Factor has increased from 56.03 percent to 64.55 percent. During the current financial year, from 1 April 2025 to date, Eskom achieved or exceeded the 70 percent availability benchmark on 55 occasions, indicating growing consistency in plant performance.
Scheduled maintenance, measured as the Planned Capacity Loss Factor, peaked at 12.76 percent in the 2025 financial year following an intensive maintenance programme. It has since declined to 9.32 percent and is trending towards international best practice for power systems. At the same time, unplanned outages have reduced sharply, with the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor improving from 31.92 percent to 16.02 percent.
Operational improvements have also delivered material cost savings. Diesel expenditure declined by approximately R16 billion in the 2025 financial year and continues to fall in the current year. Eskom attributes this to improved reliability of the coal fleet, allowing for a safe reduction in the use of open cycle gas turbines, which are primarily reserved for emergency support during supply shortages.
Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane said the recovery plan has shifted the utility from a severely constrained system to one that can increasingly deliver reliable baseload power throughout the year.
“The big picture is that Eskom has moved from a heavily constrained power system to an increasingly stable one that can reliably deliver 24 hours a day, 365 days a year baseload power,” Marokane said. “We will now maintain and build on these early gains through a rigorous focus on operational reliability and sustainability. This has been short term pain for long term gain.”
The turnaround has been supported by the Eskom Debt Relief Act passed in 2023, which provided R254 billion to ease pressure on the utility’s balance sheet. The funding enabled critical investment in planned and preventative maintenance, contributing to the operational improvements now being experienced across the economy.
Marokane added that the impact of improved power system performance extends beyond megawatts, pointing to renewed investor confidence. South Africa recently received its first credit rating upgrade in two decades, while risk premiums on Eskom’s 2033 bonds have declined, signalling improving market sentiment towards the utility’s recovery.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
