Eskom reports that electricity supply in South Africa has remained stable for more than 98% of the current financial year as technical improvements under its Generation Recovery Plan continue to support grid reliability.
The country has gone 161 consecutive days without loadshedding, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 23 October 2025. "Generation performance has improved significantly, with the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) having reached 70% and surpassing this level more than 24 times since August 2025," Eskom said.
Between 1 and 23 October, the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF) dropped to 22.85%, compared to 25.66% during the same period last year. Planned maintenance rose slightly to 12.55%, in line with Eskom's maintenance schedule and reliability goals.
From 10 to 23 October, unplanned outages averaged 9,954MW—an improvement from 11,155MW last year. Eskom said this 1,201MW reduction reflects "the growing reliability and resilience of the generation fleet." During the same period, the EAF stood at 64.28%, up from 61.44% a year earlier.
Diesel expenditure remained below budget between 1 April and 23 October, reflecting reduced reliance on Open-Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) plants, with the year-to-date load factor down to 6.06%. Eskom said this trend indicates lower dependence on diesel generation and greater use of cost-effective primary energy sources.
To further stabilise supply, Eskom plans to return 1,715MW of generation capacity to service before the evening peak on Monday, 27 October 2025, and throughout the coming week.
The utility's Summer Outlook, released on 5 September 2025, projects no loadshedding between September 2025 and March 2026 due to continued improvements under the Generation Recovery Plan.
Source: SA News
