Eskom fully meets 2026 winter demand: EAF remains at its highest level since 2020 – 67.79% – and diesel expenditure declines by R4.84 billion or 81.64% to deliver energy security

Friday, 4 September 2026: South Africa successfully concluded the 2026 winter period with Eskom fully meeting electricity demand throughout the season, including during periods of overcast weather when rooftop solar generation was significantly reduced.

South Africa has now recorded 476 consecutive days, or about 16 months, without loadshedding since 16 May 2025, reflecting the dedication of Eskom employees who have systematically improved plant reliability, reduced breakdown rates, strengthened maintenance practices and restored confidence in the performance of the generation fleet.

The scale of this recovery reflects the success of Eskom’s disciplined maintenance programme and operational improvements in restoring fleet performance and system resilience. These gains are strengthening energy security, supporting economic growth and delivering a more reliable electricity supply for South Africa.

The ability to reliably meet demand under these conditions demonstrates the tangible impact of sustained structural and operational improvements across Eskom’s generation fleet and underscores the strength and resilience of a power system increasingly built on a stronger-performing generation fleet rather than short-term interventions.

The stability experienced during winter was driven by a significant turnaround in Eskom’s generation performance. Eskom’s year-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has risen to 67.79%, its highest level since 2020, while unplanned outages have reduced from 34.48% to 19.47%. Together, these improvements have restored 6 888MW of generation capacity to the grid compared to three years ago, almost equivalent to the combined capacity of Kusile and Kriel power stations.

These gains enabled Eskom to meet winter demand while significantly reducing reliance on costly diesel-fired Open-Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs). Year to date (1 April to 3 September 2026), diesel expenditure declined by R4.84 billion, or 81.64%, compared to the same period last year, falling from R5.93 billion to R1.08 billion. Over the same period, the OCGT load factor reduced sharply from 7.92% to just 1.11%. These gains reflect the sustained impact of Eskom’s turnaround strategy and its growing contribution to economic growth, investment confidence and national energy security.

The operational improvements are also delivering meaningful benefits directly to customers and communities. Through the Load Reduction Eradication Programme, approximately 1.2 million customers have been restored to normal supply conditions. Seven provinces are now completely free from load reduction, reducing the proportion of Eskom customers affected to 6.5% of the customer base. Eskom remains on track to eradicate load reduction nationally by March 2027.

Key Performance Highlights at a glance 

Eskom provides key performance highlights for the past 7 days, the financial year to date and since March 2023, when the generation recovery plan commenced as a key part of the Eskom turnaround. 

Energy Availability Factor (EAF)

• Between 28 August and 3 September 2026, EAF was at a lower level compared to the same period last year, at 66.88% compared to 69.93%, mainly due to a higher Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF).

• The financial year-to-date (1 April to 3 September 2026) EAF has improved to 67.79%, a 6.49% improvement from the 61.3% achieved during the corresponding period last year.  

• This is still the highest financial year-to-date EAF achieved in six years, reflecting the impact of sustained operational improvements and structural interventions implemented across the generation fleet. 

• Compared with the same period three years ago, Eskom’s EAF has improved by 12.4%, returning approximately 6 213MW of generating capacity to the grid. Notably, more than 79% of the coal fleet is currently operating at EAF levels between 61.4% and 97.4%. 

Unplanned outages (Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor – UCLF) 

• Between 28 August and 3 September 2026, average unplanned outages decreased to 8 042MW from 8 590MW in the corresponding period last year, a reduction of 548MW or 6.4%. This improvement is nearly equivalent to the generating capacity of Grootvlei Power Station.  

• Between 28 August and 3 September 2026, the UCLF improved significantly from 17.77% to 16.66%, reflecting sustained operational gains and a progressive shift from recovery to reliability. 

• For the financial year to date (1 April to 3 September 2026), UCLF has reduced to 19.47%, which is 7.52% lower than the same period in the previous year. 

Average unplanned outages have been reduced by 6 888MW over the past three years, declining from 16 097MW to 9 209MW.

Planned maintenance (Planned Capacity Loss Factor – PCLF) 

• Between 28 August and 3 September 2026, planned maintenance remains aligned with Eskom’s reliability and sustainability objectives, with the PCLF averaging 16.31%, significantly higher than 11.69% in the corresponding period last year. 

• For the financial year to date (1 April to 3 September 2026), planned maintenance was at an average of 5 932MW, accounting for 12.54% of total generation capacity, higher than the 11.23% (5 266MW) over the same period in the previous year. 

• Three years ago, planned maintenance was at an average of 4 323MW, accounting for 9.26% of total generation capacity. 

Diesel usage 

• Between 28 August and 3 September 2026, diesel was deployed selectively during peak demand periods and to maintain required reserves in line with the South African Grid Code. 

• For the financial year-to-date (1 April to 3 September 2026), OCGT generation stands at 140.06GWh, approximately 86.01% lower than the corresponding period last year.  

• The continued low utilisation of OCGTs reflects improved fleet performance and reduced reliance on diesel-fired generation to meet electricity demand. 

• The financial year‑to‑date OCGT load factor stands at 1.11%, lower than the 7.92% recorded over the same period last year, reflecting a significantly reduced reliance on diesel-powered generation and remaining well below the target annual load factor of 3%.

• From March 2023 until March 2026, diesel expenditure reduced by R23.0 billion. 

Eskom continues to maintain additional system capacity, with 6 220MW in cold reserve due to excess capacity, providing further assurance of system adequacy.

Today’s evening peak is forecast at 22 317MW, against available capacity of 27 576MW. We expect 2 160MW to come back online ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 7 September 2026. 

The power system status and Summer Outlook will be shared during September.

Progress in ending load reduction

More than 1.2 million customers removed from load reduction as seven provinces remain load reduction-free and 72% of targeted households return to normal supply; load reduction impact falls to 6.5%

Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist in certain localised areas, driving infrastructure damage and posing serious safety risks. Eskom continues to implement load reduction as a temporary, targeted measure in high-risk areas to protect both communities and the electricity network.

To address these challenges sustainably, Eskom has launched a phased programme to eliminate load reduction by 2027. The programme targets 971 feeders and will benefit approximately 1.69 million customers across all provinces, out of Eskom’s total customer base of 7.2 million. Key interventions include the rollout of smart meters, the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), and the expansion of Free Basic Electricity (FBE) support.

These measures will be accompanied by targeted customer education initiatives.

Progress on Key Interventions

Smart meter rollout:

To date, 512 257 smart meters have been installed on load reduction feeders, reaching approximately 89% of the 577 347 target for high-priority areas. Approximately 82% of these installations are concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, where network pressure is highest. The rollout remains focused on high-loss areas impacted by illegal connections, infrastructure overloading and electricity theft.

Despite ongoing stakeholder engagement, including work with ward councillors, public meetings and media platforms, resistance in some areas continues to affect progress. These include safety incidents, intimidation and work stoppages, resulting in delays, with more than 122 000 planned installations impacted to date.

Feeders removed from load reduction:

Seven of South Africa’s nine provinces have been completely removed from load reduction.

A total of 571 feeders have been removed from load reduction, representing approximately 59% of the 971 target.

• 163 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (exceeding the target of 150), with both provinces achieving full elimination.
• 244 feeders in Gauteng (40.4% of the target of 604).
• 14 feeders in the Eastern and Western Cape (100% of the target), with both provinces achieving full elimination.
• 135 feeders in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal (67.4% of the target of 193), with the Free State achieving full elimination.
• 15 feeders in the North West and Northern Cape (exceeding the target of 9), with both provinces achieving full elimination.

Customers benefiting:

An estimated 1 222 430 customers are no longer impacted by load reduction, representing approximately 72% of the 1.69 million customers targeted under the programme. This includes 670 785 customers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga; 268 902 in Gauteng; 29 812 in the Eastern and Western Cape; 202 703 in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State; and 50 228 in the North West and Northern Cape.