At 00:01 on 16 May 2026, Eskom had delivered electricity to South Africa for one full year without load shedding. This was last seen eight years ago in September 2018.
The achievement marks a decisive turning point and a structural shift from a recovering grid to a stable, high-performing power system. Where load shedding once constrained economic activity and severely strained South African households, 365 consecutive days of uninterrupted power supply represents significant operational progress and signals a step towards restoring confidence in the national economy.
Over the past three years, Eskom’s increasing reliability has saved R26.9 billion in diesel costs and enabled the utility to meet the nation’s electricity demand more consistently.
“This moment has been three years in the making – since the inception of the generation recovery plan. Eskom’s employees have again delivered, using their deep technical and institutional capability built over decades of public investment. This remains a critical part of our national capacity and will now increasingly focus on delivering cleaner sources of energy,” said Eskom Board Chairman, Mteto Nyati.
“The Eskom board and I are proud of the leadership demonstrated by the Eskom executive team, led by Dan Marokane, and the perseverance and focus of Eskom employees following the state capture years,” Nyati said.
Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane said: “South Africa now has a stable electricity platform to enable an orderly transformation of the industry; no energy market liberalisation in the world has been successful without a stable incumbent.
“Reaching this milestone again demonstrates that Eskom’s progress is rooted in the expertise of its 40 000 people, our Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other partners. Government intervention through the Energy Action Plan has also been an important factor in the progress we have made. Eskom has the scale and human capital experience to partner with investors to help deliver South Africa’s R2.23 trillion Integrated Resource Plan for investment in the energy sector,” Marokane added.
Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom Group Executive for Generation also commented on the achievement. “Eskom is a skills-based engineering organisation and morale is at an all-time high as we reach this milestone and deliver to South Africa what we do best. Our belief in ourselves and our pride has returned. Today represents the hardest‑won progress in Eskom’s recent history and establishes a stable platform for continued performance improvement, which will be achieved through consistent execution of maintenance and improving the reliability of each unit across the system. We are ready to participate in a competitive power generation marketplace.”
Sustained improvements
Eskom’s progress is reflected in sustained improvements in generation performance over the past three financial years (FY 2024-FY2026).
Over this period, the rising Energy Availability Factor (EAF) and declining Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF), also known as breakdowns, were accompanied by a sharp reduction in diesel expenditure, demonstrating improved plant reliability and reduced reliance on emergency reserves.
Since the start of the generation recovery plan in March 2023:
- Energy Availability Factor (EAF) improved from 54.56% to 65.16%, an increase of 10.6%
- Unplanned outages declined from 32.34% to 22.88%, reflecting a reduction of 9.46%, signalling fewer breakdowns and more reliable plant
- Reliance on diesel‑powered emergency generation declined significantly, with expenditure falling from around R33.3 billion to R6.4 billion (pending the finalisation of the audit process), a reduction of R26.9 billion (around 81%)
These gains are underpinned by a strengthened maintenance programme and the disciplined implementation of the Generation Operational Recovery Plan. Building on earlier maintenance levels, Eskom intensified planned maintenance to restore long-term fleet reliability, while improving outage planning, reducing unit trips, and strengthening operational discipline across people, plant and processes.
Supporting energy intensive industries in distress
The consistent baseload electricity supply and improved generation capacity have enabled Eskom to support energy intensive industries in distress, particularly the ferrochrome sector. These targeted interventions have helped sustain industrial operations and prevent job losses, providing businesses with greater certainty and supporting industrial production and investment. This points to Eskom’s role in enabling economic growth, strengthening competitiveness, and supporting long-term investment across the South African economy.
In parallel, a more stable baseload fleet has enhanced the system’s ability to accommodate variable renewable energy, particularly during morning and evening peak demand periods, supporting a more flexible and resilient power system.
Looking ahead
The operational improvements have also translated into sound financial progress at Eskom. Looking ahead, the utility remains focused on sustaining these gains while supporting the long-term transition of the power system. In line with national energy policy,
Eskom acknowledges the continued support of the Minister of Electricity and Energy, government, the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM), and law enforcement agencies, whose coordinated efforts have been instrumental in stabilising the system and protecting critical energy infrastructure.
With a more stable and predictable power supply Eskom is enabling businesses to plan with greater certainty and supporting an environment where industry and investment can grow across South Africa and beyond.
For more information visit: www.eskom.co.za
