- Eskom's Energy Availability Factor (EAF) – which measures the percentage of time the power generation fleet is available to generate electricity – stands at 71.50% month-to-date, up 7.46% from 64.04% last year, with a year-to-date value of 63.29%.
The higher EAF has significantly reduced the dependence on diesel generation as cheaper primary energy sources are available. Diesel spending last week was virtually zero (R0.00 million), compared to R10.49 million in the same period last year – highlighting the financial and operational benefits of improved generation availability. Since the beginning of the year, diesel spending has consistently been below budget.
On November 9, 2025, Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant will celebrate its 40th anniversary as a safe nuclear power plant operation, continuously providing clean, affordable electricity and supporting South Africa's economic growth. This milestone follows yesterday's approval by the National Nuclear Regulator for a 20-year license extension allowing continued power generation through 2045. Koeberg Unit 2 currently supplies 946 MW to the grid and has maintained 100% EAF for 242 consecutive days – a testament to its reliability and performance. The expansion, supported by rigorous safety assessments and upgrades under the Long-Term Operation (LTO) program, reinforces Eskom's commitment to ensuring clean baseload power for decades to come while avoiding costly replacements.
From October 31 to November 6, 2025, the average unplanned capacity loss factor (UCLF), which measures the percentage of generation capacity lost due to unplanned outages, fell below 20% to 16.57%, an improvement of 4.91 percentage points from 21.48% in the same period last year.
The average Planned Capacity Loss Factor (PCLF) for the period October 31 to November 6, 2025 is 11.65%, lower than the 14.00% recorded last year. This planned maintenance is in line with Eskom's long-term maintenance plan and ongoing efforts to improve asset reliability and operational consistency.
Between October 31 and November 6, 2025, Eskom recorded an average of 7,961 MW of unplanned outages – an improvement on 10,263 MW in the same period last year. This 2,302 MW year-over-year decrease in outages highlights the growing reliability and resilience of the power generation fleet.
South Africa has now experienced 175 consecutive days without supply interruption, with just 26 hours of load shedding recorded in April and May this financial year.
To ensure continued reliability, Eskom will retire 3,890 MW of generation capacity ahead of the evening peak on Monday, November 10, 2025, ensuring stable power supply throughout the week. Peak demand is forecast to be 23,989 MW this evening, with 27,979 MW of capacity available.
Key performance highlights
- Year-to-date, UCLF continued to decline to 24.92%, an improvement of about 0.24% from the previous week and remaining below last year's 25.23%.
- Planned maintenance averaged 5,318 MW, representing 11.33% of total generating capacity, similar to the previous week but 0.10% higher than the same period last year.
- EAF has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the year and currently stands at 63.29%, up from 63.05% in the same period last year, driven by fewer unplanned outages and additional capacity.
- Between April 1 and November 6, 2025, Eskom generated 1,023.67 GWh from its OCGT plants, incurring diesel costs of R6.077 billion. This represents an increase from the 949.15 GWh generated in the same period last year. It is noteworthy that diesel consumption has steadily declined month-on-month since May and only reached a load factor of 0.75% in October 2025.
- The OCGT load factor fell to 5.68% year-to-date, an improvement of 0.19% from the previous week, but is still slightly higher than the 5.27% recorded in the same period last year.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal