Eskom Achieves 254 Days Without Load Shedding, Saves Nearly R17 Billion In Diesel Costs

Eskom has successfully gone over 250 days without load shedding, saving nearly R17 billion in diesel costs compared to last year.

The company said that its investment in the Generation Recovery Plan has delivered steady results, with load shedding suspended for 254 days since March 26, this year. Eskom highlighted that this success is due to ongoing improvements in its coal-fired fleet, and it reflects the company's commitment to providing a reliable energy supply.

These efforts are aimed at supporting economic growth and ensuring long-term sustainability. As the industry begins to shut down for the December holidays, Eskom will gradually increase its maintenance activities to further improve the reliability of its generation fleet, SA News reported.

The power utility reported that unplanned outages over the past week averaged 11,038 MW, which is a significant improvement from 14,475 MW during the same period last year, marking a reduction of 3,437 MW.

On Friday, unplanned outages were 11,834 MW, which is 1,166 MW lower than the summer 2024 base case, showing steady improvement in operational efficiency. Eskom's Energy Availability Factor (EAF) averaged 59.4% last week and 62.8% year-to-date.

Top-performing power stations, including Majuba, Medupi, and peaking stations, achieved an average EAF of 70% and above. Four other power stations also recorded EAFs above 60%. Eskom expects an additional 2,600 MW of power to return online by Monday evening.

In August, Eskom shared its Summer Outlook for the period from Sept. 1, this year to 31 March 2025, predicting a summer without load shedding due to improvements in its generation fleet. This forecast remains unchanged.

Eskom last month announced the successful completion of its prepaid meter upgrade project and was now urging around 1.7 million "zero buyers" to upgrade their meters before the deadline.

The power utility has converted about 400,000 former "zero buyers" into paying customers through the technology update. All prepayment meters must be upgraded to the Key Revision Number version 2 (KRN 2) because the current STS technology will no longer accept new credit tokens.

In the past 10 days, Eskom has seen many "zero buyers" come forward to buy electricity and resolve their issues. The power utility will continue to treat these customers respectfully as they address their concerns.