Eskom powers on
Eskom reported that its year-to-date energy availability factor (EAF) is now over 60% after increasing to 60.14% last week.
EAF measures the generating capacity available from Eskom power plants relative to their installed capacity. It takes breakdowns and maintenance into account.
“As of 8 August 2025, unplanned outages stand at 11,170MW, thanks to significant progress in plant performance as a result of the ongoing implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan,” Eskom stated.
Eskom said the average breakdowns at its power stations this week were 10,884MW, well below the threshold at which it would need to implement load-shedding according to its winter forecast.
This is the third consecutive week that Eskom’s weekly average breakdowns have been below the 13,000MW level, the threshold above which load-shedding becomes a probability.
Eskom said its winter outlook, published on 5 May 2025, remains valid. If outages rose to 15,000MW, stage 2 load-shedding would be probable, albeit limited to a maximum of 21 days out of 153 days.
Load-shedding has thus far remained well below these levels, despite breakdowns hovering in Eskom’s “danger zone” for ten consecutive weeks.
The state-owned power utility said there has been no load-shedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 7 August 2025.
“When occasional system constraints arise, they are effectively managed through the strategic deployment of emergency reserves during morning and evening peak periods.”
During the week, planned maintenance increased to an average of 5,343MW. Its weekly energy availability factor (EAF) ranged between 62% to 70%, with the month-to-date average EAF increasing to 65.38%.
The Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF), which measures the capacity lost due to breakdowns, decreased to 28.38% for the financial year to date. This was higher than the 26.06% UCLF during the same period last year.
“To further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 3,280MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 11 August 2025, and throughout the coming week,” it stated.
Eskom diesel usage
Eskom reported an increase in open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) usage for the week of 1–7 August 2025 and an improvement in its energy availability factor.
Its weekly OCGT load factor increased from 0.31% to 5.99% Open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) are diesel-powered stations that Eskom uses to help balance the grid and as emergency generation units to keep load-shedding at bay.
The year-to-date load factor for OCGTs decreased to 9.35%. This figure remains higher than the 4.82% recorded during the same period last year.
“From 1 April to 7 August 2025, diesel spend remains within the budget allocated,” Eskom said. The power utility spent an additional R210 million on diesel during the past week.
Year-to-date, Eskom spent R5.8 billion on fuel for the OCGT fleet, generating 988.56GWh of electricity. This output is still higher than the 509.42GWh generated during the same timeframe last year.
Eskom reported that its year-to-date EAF has increased to 59.88% and remains lower than the 62.84% recorded during the same period last year, primarily due to a 2.3% increase in breakdowns.
Its 60.14% weekly EAF figure remains below the 63.1% recorded during the same period last year, mainly due to a 2.3% year-to-date increase in breakdowns compared to the previous year.
End of load-shedding in sight
Last week, EE Business Intelligence managing director and energy expert Chris Yelland noted that Eskom’s power stations reached another major milestone, achieving a higher EAF than at the same time in 2024.
The power utility had struggled to sustain the reliability improvements it achieved in 2024, with its 2025 EAF remaining stubbornly below last year’s levels.
Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa also said last week that the permanent end of load-shedding was “within touching distance”.
Ramokgopa said eight of Eskom’s 14 coal power stations were operating with an EAF over 71% and that he was confident the power utility had turned a corner.
“South Africans must be confident that we’ve turned a corner, and at the right time, we will be able to share with the country where we are relative to the overall objective of ending load-shedding,” he said.
“We are within touching distance, and I think in the next week or two we’ll call a media briefing just to show you what the performance has been.”
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