Eskom confirmed on Friday that loadshedding remains suspended, supported by a stable power system and adequate emergency reserves.
Eskom said that from 1 April 2024 to 20 February 2025, loadshedding was suspended for 323 days (7 787 hours), compared to 32 days (2 087 hours) in the same period last year. “Electricity supply was available 99% of the time, compared to just 9.8% last year. Eskom said that this progress underscores the success of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan in improving generation capacity and maintaining a reliable electricity supply.”
Eskom added that year-to-date diesel savings have reached R17.25 billion, representing a 58.9% reduction compared to the R29.27 billion spent during the same period last year. “A total of 3 410MW will be returned to service before the evening peak on Monday, 24 February 2025, to further stabilise the grid. Eskom’s Summer Outlook from 1 September 2024 to 31 March 2025, published on August 26, 2024, remains unchanged.”
Eskom said that over the past week (14 February to 20 February 2025), average unplanned outages increased to 12 976MW. “However, this is an improvement of 1 114MW compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date, the average is 12 127MW, which is 873MW below the summer base case of 13 000MW.”
Eskom added that the unplanned capacity loss factor (UCLF) is at 25.35% for the financial year-to-date (1 April 2024 to 20 February 2025), improving from 32.50% in the corresponding period last year. This marks an improvement of 7.2%.
Eskom said that the weekly EAF slightly increased from 57.0% at the beginning of the financial year to 57.54% from 17 to 20 February 2025, while the year-to-date EAF is at 61.44%, a significant improvement of 6.8% compared to the same period last year (54.64%). “The ongoing planned maintenance at 7 479MW aligns with our summer maintenance strategy, which aims to further improve reliability in preparation for winter 2025 and beyond.”
Eskom added that as of today, unplanned outages are at 13 275MW, while available generation capacity is 26 640MW. “Tonight’s forecasted peak demand is 25 161MW. “Strategic use of peaking stations remains key to managing electricity demand during peak times, particularly during evening peaks (17:00 to 22:00).”
Eskom said that between 1 April 2024 and 20 February 2025, approximately R12.02 billion was spent on fuel for the Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT) fleet, which is below budget. “This expenditure generated 1 978.87 GWh, significantly lower than the 4 621.43 GWh generated during the same period last year. The OCGT load factor for 1 April 2024 to 20 February 2025 stabilised at 7.41%, compared to last year’s figure of 17.30%.”
Eskom added that while loadshedding is currently suspended, Eskom appeals to the public to avoid illegal connections, to buy electricity only from Eskom-accredited vendors and help protect the power network by reporting any illegal activities. “Our technicians are actively working on isolated distribution networks where repairs were previously delayed by continuous rain and challenging site access in certain provinces. We recognise the impact on our customers and are prioritising these repairs to restore service as quickly as possible.”
BUSINESS REPORT