Eskom explains why it missed performance targets and needed load-shedding

Eskom has told MyBroadband that missing the aggregate uptime targets for its power stations was not the main reason it had to bring back load-shedding in 2025.

“Although load-shedding occurred on 14 days between January and April 2025, these incidents revealed specific operational challenges that have since been addressed with improved strategies,” an Eskom spokesperson said.

“Eskom has been transparent about the setbacks in operational excellence, as reflected in the load-shedding events during this period,” it added.

“Eskom has clearly communicated the reasons for these setbacks to the nation.”

It said a targeted plan has been implemented to reinforce operational discipline and accelerate recovery initiatives to address the root causes of the recent load-shedding events.

South Africa’s national power utility was responding to questions from MyBroadband about what went wrong that caused the return of load-shedding, why it missed its performance targets, and who would be held responsible.

In January 2023, former Eskom chair Mpho Makwana said they had embarked on a turnaround journey to improve plant performance and reduce load-shedding.

Makwana set an energy availability factor (EAF) target of 60% by March 2023, 65% by March 2024, and 70% by March 2025.

He said if the EAF could be improved to around 70%, load-shedding would be a thing of the past, and South Africa would have electricity security.

EAF measures the amount of capacity Eskom has available to dispatch for a given period relative to its total installed capacity.

After Makwana stepped down and Mteto Nyati took over as chair, a new Eskom board established its reimagined Generation Operational Recovery Plan to revitalise the utility’s senescent coal fleet.

Although the goals of the new board’s Generation Operational Recovery Plan were similar to Makwana’s — improving EAF through targeted maintenance — there weren’t specific targets.

However, Eskom’s group executive for generation, Bheki Nxumalo, reiterated the 65% and 70% targets in his recent presentation for the utility’s system status update and winter outlook.

Eskom has also previously said that if it reached 70% EAF, it could declare the end of load-shedding.

Missing targets

Unfortunately, Eskom only achieved an average of 70% EAF during one week in mid-2024, and its average weekly EAF has remained stubbornly below 60%.

However, Eskom said that by 31 March 2025, its overall EAF had improved to 61% — up from 54.56% the previous year, indicating a stabilising trend over the past two years.

“In the final quarter of FY2025, planned outages increased by 3% year-on-year, contributing to a drop in March EAF to 57%, below the 70% target,” an Eskom spokesperson said.

“While the EAF has shown an improvement, it was still, however, below the target.”

Eskom explained that the shortfall was mainly due to its deliberate increase in planned maintenance during summer to prepare for winter demand and meet regulatory and environmental obligations.

“This is a necessary investment in long-term reliability,” said Eskom.

“Although planned maintenance may reduce short-term availability, it is crucial for minimising unplanned outages, reducing diesel reliance, and fostering a more stable and efficient generation fleet.”

Eskom said its EAF was impacted by work to reconnect three 800MW Kusile power station units to its flue gas desulphurisation system. This was to comply with environmental requirements.

Kusile Unit 1 is still undergoing a scheduled outage and is expected back online in June, fully integrated to the main stack.

Additional factors impacting EAF include:

• The return of Medupi Unit 4, which is expected end of May 2025.
• The commercial operation of Kusile Unit 6, already generating 800MW, but not yet included in EAF calculations.
• Koeberg nuclear power station undergoing maintenance, refuelling, and life-extension.

There were also certain operational challenges that impacted EAF, Eskom said.

Accountability

Nyati told MyBroadband that EAF alone does not adequately reflect the continuous improvement that has been achieved at Eskom.

“When the Eskom board set the targets for Generation Recovery Plan back in March 2023, the intention was to improve operational performance year on year and also stretch the team to reach beyond their reach,” Nyati said.

“The fact that they missed some stretch targets does not mean that they have performed poorly.”

Nyati said that in the last financial year, Eskom has significantly improved year on year across operational, financial and sustainability metrics.

In a recent interview, Nyati said South Africa is regressing because, as a society, we tolerate poor leadership. He said we should hold leaders accountable.

MyBroadband asked who would be held accountable for Eskom missing its EAF target and regressing to implementing load-shedding in 2025.

Nyati said there would be accountability, but within the larger context of the overall success achieved at Eskom.

“They may lose some performance-based incentives, but are being celebrated internally for positioning Eskom in a much better place,” he told MyBroadband.

“It is a process of continuous improvement. As a board, we are proud of what Eskom management has achieved in the last financial year.”

Nyati said that for the first time in years, Eskom will post a profit on the back of an improved operational performance, in particular, reduced loadshedding and diesel usage.

“That is a major step forward,” he said.

Promising the end of load-shedding

We also asked Nyati about promising in February that they would be in a position to announce the end of load-shedding after 31 March 2025.

Nyati made this promise after Eskom was forced to implement Stage 3 load-shedding at short notice at the end of January.

“We had this plan. This was a two-year plan which was adopted in March 2023. We have been implementing that plan. End of March 2025, that’s when the plan should have been executed,” Nyati said.

“At the end of that plan is when we can come back, the Minister (Kgosientsho Ramokgopa), myself, and the CEO (Dan Marokane), and communicate to South Africa that there’s not going to be load-shedding.”

Nyati directed this question to Eskom, which seemed to indicate that the Eskom chairman’s remarks were misunderstood.

“As reiterated by the Eskom board chairman and the Minister of Energy and Electricity in previous media briefings, any formal announcement on the end of load-shedding will only follow once the power system demonstrates consistent, long-term stability,” it said.