Johannesburg – Eskom says South Africa has reached 300 consecutive days without loadshedding, marking a significant milestone in the utility’s efforts to stabilise the national power grid.
The state-owned power utility confirmed on Friday that the country achieved the milestone at midnight on March 12, crediting improvements in generation performance under its Generation Recovery Plan.
“This achievement reflects the sustained upward trajectory in plant performance, supported by an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) that is consistently above 65%,” Eskom said in a statement.
The utility reported that the Energy Availability Factor currently stands at 65.85% for the financial year to date, covering the period from April 1, 2025, to March 12, 2026. Eskom added that its generation fleet had also reached or exceeded the 70% EAF mark on 83 occasions during the same period.
The improved performance has been accompanied by a sharp drop in unexpected plant breakdowns.
According to Eskom, average unplanned outages fell by 53%, with outages between March 6 and March 12 averaging 7 224MW, compared with 15 382MW during the same week last year.
Eskom marks 300 days without loadshedding as sustained generation performance maintains grid stability and energy security pic.twitter.com/rkrtMc3aqo
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) March 13, 2026
“The improvement underlines the ongoing gains in reliability across the fleet,” the power utility said.
At the same time, Eskom increased planned maintenance to strengthen long-term reliability and ensure environmental compliance.
The Planned Capacity Loss Factor averaged 13.81%, up from 10.21% during the previous financial year.
Eskom said the country had experienced 301 consecutive days without an interruption in electricity supply, with only 26 hours of loadshedding recorded in April and May 2025 during the current financial year.
The utility also highlighted significant cost savings linked to reduced reliance on diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines.
“For the financial year to date, diesel expenditure is R8.58 billion lower than during the same period last year, representing a 57.35% reduction year on year,” Eskom said.
Serious safety risks
Between April 2025 and March 12, 2026, Eskom generated 1 075.23GWh from diesel turbines at a cost of R6.381 billion, compared with 2 498.75GWh at a cost of R14.963 billion during the same period the previous year.
Despite the improved supply outlook, Eskom warned that illegal connections and meter tampering continue to threaten infrastructure and electricity supply.
“Although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist, causing infrastructure damage and posing serious safety risks,” the utility said.
To address the issue, Eskom has launched a programme aimed at phasing out load reduction by 2027, targeting 971 feeders and about 1.69 million customers nationwide.
Key measures include the rollout of smart meters, expansion of distributed energy resources and increased access to Free Basic Electricity support.
Eskom said 444 062 smart meters have already been installed nationwide, with 171 507 deployed on load-reduction feeders, mainly in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
Persistent resistance
However, the rollout has faced challenges.
“Installation teams continue to face persistent resistance, including intimidation, violent incidents and repeated work stoppages,” Eskom said.
“These disruptions have led to deployment delays, the redeployment of teams, and heightened safety risks for Eskom employees and contractors.”
The utility added that about 122 000 planned smart meter installations have been delayed as a result.
Eskom said progress had also been made in reducing load reduction in affected communities, with 151 feeders already removed from load reduction, benefiting an estimated 199 160 customers across the country.
Looking ahead, Eskom expects the power system to remain stable and plans to bring 3 330MW of additional generation capacity online ahead of the evening peak on March 16.
Evening demand is forecast at 23 858MW, with 27 652MW of available capacity, providing what the utility described as a “healthy reserve margin above current demand.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
