South Africa has not experienced load shedding (planned blackouts) in over 500 days, reflecting the cumulative impact of improved fleet performance, lower unplanned outages, increased generation capacity and reduced reliance on emergency generation resources, Eskom said.
In a statement on 04 October, Eskom said South Africa had recorded 504 consecutive days without load shedding since 16 May 2025.
“This milestone demonstrates the sustained progress being made in restoring reliability, strengthening energy security and supporting South Africa’s economic growth and development,” the power utility said.
It further added that the year-to-date Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has reached 68.11%, reinforcing progress in restoring energy security and supporting economic growth.
“Supported by lower unplanned outages, improved generation fleet reliability and an 80.49% year-on-year reduction in diesel expenditure, South Africa has now achieved more than 500 consecutive days without load shedding,” it said.
Eskom’s operational improvement continues to deliver measurable results, with unplanned outages improving by 6.69% year-on-year and approximately 2 943MW of generation capacity returned to service.
Compared with three years ago, Eskom has improved its EAF by 12.76 percentage points and returned approximately 6 492MW of generation capacity to the grid, demonstrating sustained progress in enhancing generation reliability and strengthening South Africa’s energy security.
From 1 April to 1 October 2026, diesel expenditure declined by R4.79 billion, or 80.49%, compared to the same period last year, decreasing from R5.95 billion to R1.16 billion. Over the same period, the Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT) load factor reduced sharply from 6.72% to 1.02%, reflecting the impact of improved plant performance and the contribution of additional generation capacity to the grid.
“Combined, these results demonstrate Eskom’s continued progress in delivering a more reliable, cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable electricity supply for South Africa,” it said.
LOAD REDUCTION VS LOAD SHEDDING
Alongside its operational recovery, Eskom continues to make substantial progress in its commitment to eliminate load reduction by March 2027 through the Load Reduction Eradication Programme.
Seven out of nine provinces remain free from load reduction, with approximately 1.5 million customers restored to normal supply conditions.
The number of customers affected by load reduction has declined from 1.69 million to 202 590, representing just 2.8% of Eskom’s customer base.
Load reduction occurs when Eskom cuts off areas with vast illegal electricity connections.
