Electricity supply gains momentum across SA ahead of winter
Bright modern house with visible indoor lights
Eskom’s power generation fleet is showing consistent performance improvements, with key metrics indicating a turning point in South Africa’s efforts to stabilise the national grid. For the first time in years, more than half of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations are operating with an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) above 70%—a performance benchmark long considered essential for reliable electricity supply.
Three power stations have surpassed the 90% EAF threshold, underscoring what Eskom calls “momentum” in the system. As of last Friday, the utility’s available generation capacity stood at 30,882MW, with unplanned outages down to just 8,525MW—the lowest recorded in recent memory.
“These improvements reflect the results of focused maintenance, operational discipline, and targeted use of emergency reserves,” Eskom said in its latest update.
The Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF)—the percentage of power lost due to unforeseen failures—has dropped below 20% for the first time in over a year, sitting at 19.94%. Although still above the levels seen last winter, the consistent week-on-week improvement signals a return to operational health.
South Africa has now gone over four months without any load shedding. Eskom’s winter outlook suggests that this stability can be maintained if unplanned outages remain below 13,000MW. Should outages rise, Stage 2 load shedding may be required, but would be limited to just 21 days across the entire 153-day winter period.
This progress comes at a crucial time, as public and business confidence in Eskom’s reliability has suffered years of damage. Improved performance is not only about keeping the lights on—it’s also about enabling economic growth.
The road ahead remains complex, with ageing infrastructure and financial pressures still looming large. However, Eskom’s ability to meet winter demand without cuts so far is seen by many as a major step forward.
