Eskom holds 511 days without load shedding as diesel bill drops R4.82 billion
The utility's year-to-date energy availability factor reached 68.2%, its highest in six years, while load reduction now affects 193 556 customers, or 2.7% of its base.
Eskom’s year-to-date energy availability factor has reached 68.2%, its highest level in six years, as diesel expenditure fell by R4.82 billion and the number of customers affected by load reduction dropped to 193 556, or 2.7% of its customer base.
The utility says South Africa has now recorded 511 consecutive days without load shedding since 16 May 2025. It reported surplus capacity of 5 695MW available as a platform for growth and industrialisation.
For the financial year to 8 October 2026, the EAF improved to 68.2% from 62.63% over the same period last year, a 5.57% gain. In the week of 2 to 8 October, the EAF was 70.80% against 63.58% a year earlier.
Unplanned outages for the year to date, measured as the unplanned capacity loss factor, fell to 18.9%, 6.67% lower than the same period last year, equivalent to 3 001MW of generation capacity returned to service. Average unplanned outages have come down by 7 281MW over three years, from 16 345MW to 9 064MW.
Planned maintenance rose over the same period. The planned capacity loss factor averaged 12.72% for the year to date, or 6 043MW, up from 11.31% and 5 309MW a year earlier. Three years ago planned maintenance averaged 4 477MW, or 9.59% of capacity.
Diesel spending for the period from 1 April to 8 October 2026 declined by R4.82 billion, or 80.58%, to R1.16 billion from R5.98 billion. The open-cycle gas turbine load factor fell from 6.50% to 0.98%. Eskom did not use OCGTs for generation in the past week, with minimal consumption attributed to an outage rather than generation requirements. Comparing the financial year ended March 2023 with the year ended March 2026, diesel expenditure fell by R23.0 billion.
On emissions, Eskom’s year-to-date relative particulate emissions performance remains on target at 0.35kg/MWhSO. The utility says particulate emissions rose slightly during September but continued to meet the target, building on performance below target levels since October 2025.
Load reduction, the targeted switching used in high-loss areas, now affects 193 556 customers, down from 1.69 million, a decline of about 89%. Seven of the nine provinces are free of load reduction. Six hundred of the 971 targeted feeders have been removed from the programme, about 62% of the target. An estimated 1 496 444 customers are no longer affected, including 670 785 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, 502 277 in Gauteng, 243 342 in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, 50 228 in the North West and Northern Cape, and 29 812 in the Eastern and Western Cape.
The remaining impact is confined to selected areas in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where Eskom says more than 60% of customers have already returned to normal supply. The utility says illegal connections and meter tampering persist in certain localised areas, driving infrastructure damage and safety risks.
On its eradication programme, 520 880 smart meters have been installed on load reduction feeders, about 90% of the 577 347 target for high-priority areas, with roughly 83% of installations in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. Eskom says resistance in some areas, including safety incidents, intimidation and work stoppages, has affected more than 122 000 planned installations to date. A total of 550 126 customers are registered for free basic electricity, about a 13% increase from a baseline of 485 000 and roughly 26% of the 2.1 million eligible customers.
The utility is calling on affected communities to work with its teams to accelerate the elimination of load reduction, with a March 2027 eradication target. It asks customers to report illegal connections and infrastructure damage to the Eskom Crime Line on 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp on 081 333 3323.
Eskom forecasts today’s evening peak at 23 966MW against available capacity of 26 143MW excluding gas, and expects 3 223MW to return online ahead of Monday’s evening peak. It says the power system status and summer outlook will be announced in the coming weeks, and its next weekly update is due on Friday, 16 October 2026.
Source: Eskom, Eskom strengthens energy security as EAF increases to 68.2%, diesel costs fall by R4.82 billion year-on-year
