Eskom powers through Winter: 476 days without load shedding
· Citizen
South Africa has emerged from the 2026 winter season without a single blackout, with Eskom announcing that it fully met electricity demand for 476 consecutive days, a milestone driven by improved plant reliability, fewer breakdowns, and sharply lower diesel use.
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The power utility provided an update on the country’s electricity supply following a bitter winter period.
South Africans breathed a sigh of relief that they did not have to battle load shedding during the cold month.
Load shedding
Eskom said this winter “proved the resilience of our generation fleet.”
“South Africa has now recorded 16 months without load shedding, 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.”
Energy Availability Factor
The utility’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has risen to 67.79%, its highest level since 2020, while unplanned outages dropped from 34.48% to 19.47%.
Eskom said these gains restored 6,888MW of generation capacity to the grid – almost equivalent to the combined output of Kusile and Kriel power stations.
“These improvements demonstrate the tangible impact of sustained structural and operational interventions,” Eskom noted, adding that more than 79% of its coal fleet is now operating at EAF levels between 61.4% and 97.4%.
Diesel costs
Reliance on costly diesel‑fired Open‑Cycle Gas Turbines has plummeted. Year‑to‑date expenditure fell by R4.84 billion (81.64%), from R5.93 billion to R1.08 billion, while the OCGT load factor dropped from 7.92% to just 1.11%.
“From March 2023 until March 2026, diesel expenditure reduced by R23 billion,” Eskom confirmed, underscoring the financial relief of improved fleet performance,” Eskom said.
Reliability
Eskom stressed that the turnaround reflects a shift from short‑term fixes to long‑term reliability.
“The ability to reliably meet demand under these conditions demonstrates the tangible impact of sustained improvements and underscores the strength of a power system increasingly built on a stronger‑performing generation fleet rather than short‑term interventions.”
Eskom said it continues to maintain additional system capacity, with 6 220MW in cold reserve due to excess capacity, providing further assurance of system adequacy.