Eskom congratulates itself for 30 days of no load shedding

Eskom on Saturday gave itself a pat on the back for managing to reach 30 days without load shedding.

This comes after it confirmed on Friday that load shedding will remain suspended over the Easter weekend, citing improvements in unplanned outages and an “adequate” level of energy reserves.

“Load shedding remains suspended, and the power system remains stable with sufficient capacity to meet the long weekend’s demand,” Eskom said on Friday.

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30 days without load shedding

Despite it being its primary job, the power utility seemed quite proud of itself for keeping the lights on for 30 days.

“This achievement comes amid increasing electricity demand and an ongoing intensive maintenance programme, with planned outages averaging over 7 000MW over approximately four months.

“The increased maintenance is a deliberate strategy to strengthen power system reliability ahead of the winter peak while ensuring compliance with environmental and regulatory requirements,” it said.

Planned maintenance at elevated levels

Eskom said it is currently undertaking high levels of planned maintenance, accounting for 15.41% of generation capacity. It added that this is a 3.8% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to Eskom, this maintenance will improve the performance and reliability of its fleet ahead of winter, when demand increases.

As of 18 April 2025, 8 974MW of generation capacity is undergoing planned maintenance.

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Unplanned outages decline

Eskom noted a significant year-on-year reduction in unplanned outages, with the Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) improving by approximately 2.7%.

For the period 1 to 17 April 2025, UCLF stood at 27.48%, compared to 30.15% over the same period in 2024.

Between 14 and 17 April 2025, average unplanned outages dropped to 12 862MW, down by 1 140MW from the same period last year.

Current unplanned outages stand at 11 362MW, marking a slight decrease from 11 564MW recorded last week.

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Lower reliance on diesel

The utility also reported a decline in the use of diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTS).

The OCGT load factor fell to 9.78% between 11 and 17 April 2025 – down from 29.95% recorded the previous week – although it remains above last year’s figure of 7.9% for the same period.

Despite this recent decline, Eskom spent around R1.67 billion on fuel for OCGTS from 1 to 17 April 2025, generating 284.40GWh.

This is more than double the 109.41GWh produced in the same period in 2024, though Eskom anticipates reduced spending as maintenance winds down.

The year-to-date OCGT load factor stands at 20.42%, down 7.45% from the previous week.

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Power returns and winter outlook

To further support grid stability, Eskom said 3 948MW will be returned to service before the evening peak on Tuesday, 22 April 2025.

Saturday night’s peak demand is forecast at 23 593MW, while available generation capacity stands at 27 299MW.

The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) currently stands at 56.63% for the year to date, remaining relatively unchanged compared to the 57.67% recorded in the same period last year.

Eskom is expected to release its official winter outlook later this month.

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Eskom urges public cooperation.

With winter fast approaching, Eskom has called on households to help protect critical infrastructure by preventing transformer overloads.

The utility has urged the public to avoid illegal connections, buy electricity from approved vendors, and report suspicious activity.

“Transformer explosions and prolonged outages can be avoided by ensuring legal connections and responsible electricity usage,” the utility said.

Residents are encouraged to register for free basic electricity with their local municipalities.

Illegal activity affecting infrastructure can be reported to the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323.

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