As of Friday, unplanned outages reached 7 265MW.
With the load shedding chained to the dark echelons of an abyss, Eskom said unplanned outages dropped to below 8 000MW for the first time since 2020.
As of Friday, unplanned outages reached 7 265MW.
Milestone
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the milestone highlights the structural progress in plant performance as a result of the ongoing implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan (GRP).
The GRP was also hailed by Eskom as it celebrated 100 days of no load shedding on Saturday.
“With just more than a week remaining in Eskom’s Winter Outlook period, the power system remains well-positioned to maintain stability and reliably meet demand.
“Eskom’s sustained technical improvements have ensured a reliable power system, meeting more than 97% of electricity demand this winter and financial year to date. South Africa has experienced no load shedding since 15 May 2025, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 21 August 2025,” Mokwena said.
ALSO READ: Eskom marks 100 days of no load shedding, but how long will it last?
Billions in diesel
Last week, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said Eskom was in a good space and South Africans shouldn’t worry about the utility burning through billions of rands in diesel to keep the lights on because it was all part of the plan.
The minister cited improvements in performance and stability across the national grid, despite Eskom spending billions on diesel.
“At the beginning of the financial year, in April, we relied more and more on the diesel to be able to support us, and this diesel was able to support us because it’s meant to support us during those periods of difficulty, Ramokgopa said.
No load shedding
Ramokgopa said there will be no load shedding for the rest of the winter period, as the summer months approach.
Mokwena said to further strengthen grid stability, Eskom returned a total of 4 850MW of generation capacity on Monday, 25 August 2025, and throughout the coming week.
While many were expecting load shedding during the cold, bitter winter, Eskom seem to have come out of the ICU and into a general ward and perhaps on the road to recovery.
ALSO READ: Eskom burns nearly R6 billion on diesel to keep lights on during winter
