Eskom projects that no load shedding will be implemented this coming winter season.
The power utility presented the State of the System at a media briefing on Wednesday, to share its 2026 Winter Outlook.
“Eskom enters the 2026 winter season with a resilient power system, projecting a winter period of continued energy stability from 1 April to 31 August 2026. This positive outlook follows the successful conclusion of the summer period, during which the national grid operated with ongoing sustained reliability.
“With the Generation Recovery Plan firmly embedded in day‑to‑day operations, Eskom has moved beyond short‑term recovery into a phase of stability and sustained energy security, ensuring that homes, businesses and industries remain powered through the peak winter months,” Eskom said in a statement.
Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane added that the power utility now has a stable platform to “operate and grow from”.
“This enables us to integrate renewable energy sources as per the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan for the maintenance of energy security in the future.
“Eskom is consciously assessing the new capacity build rate across all required technologies as this, along with other socio-economic conditions, will be vital in determining the transition of the coal fired power stations,” Marokane said.
The power utility’s diesel consumption – once relied upon to power expensive open cycle gas turbines – is also on the downturn, reducing by some R26.9 billion.
Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo, reflected that cost savings such as those were hard to embed when the generation fleet was unstable.
“These savings are a result of strengthened maintenance discipline and project delivery. Every megawatt we return contributes toward economic growth.
“The restoration of a consistent baseload electricity supply has enabled Eskom to be in a position to support industries in distress, particularly the ferrochrome industry, and play a meaningful role in preventing job losses.
“The country has invested in Eskom, and we are continuously working to restore this national asset to full health; it is a resource that all citizens have supported,” Nxumalo said.
Other year‑on‑year improvements in system performance include:
- Energy Availability Factor (EAF) improved by ~10.8%: The EAF has improved from 54.55% in Financial Year (FY) 2023 to ~65.35% in FY2026, a gain of ~10.8%, reflecting stronger generation reliability and power system stability. EAF reached or exceeded 70% on more than 83 occasions during FY26.
- Unplanned losses, reduced by ~7.1GW: Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), measuring unplanned losses, reduced by ~7.1GW, declining from 16.5GW to ~9.1GW as at 31 March 2026, a reduction exceeding one‑and‑a‑half times the capacity of Kusile Power Station.
- Planned maintenance increased, averaging 5.4GW: Planned maintenance increased from an average of 4.7GW in FY2023 to peaks of around 8.0GW, with an annual average of 5.4GW in FY2026, strengthening long‑term plant reliability while temporarily reducing available capacity.
“Together, these improvements supported a period, as of [Wednesday], of 341 consecutive days without load shedding,” Eskom said.
Tackling load reduction
Eskom noted that it is working closely with the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE) and other relevant stakeholders to “accelerate the elimination of load reduction”.
Load reduction is implemented by the power utility to protect infrastructure from overloading and destruction where there are illegal connections.
Eskom said its elimination programme is already yielding results, with the Northern Cape and Western Cape now fully removed from load reduction schedules.
“Nationally, more than 340 000 customers who previously faced load reduction are no longer experiencing it, ensuring continuous supply during the winter period.
“A key part of the programme is the installation of more than 600 000 smart meters, which improve network visibility, support better load management and help stabilise local electricity networks.
“In addition, 2119 customers have been connected through distributed energy resources to strengthen the electricity supply in areas where network limitations previously contributed to load reduction,” the power utility explained.
The programme is expected to be concluded by next year.
“By September 2026, Eskom expects that about 60% of feeders currently affected by load reduction, 573 out of 971, will be removed from load reduction, with the remaining feeders addressed progressively by 2027,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za
