Johannesburg: Eskom has marked the longest stretch of uninterrupted power supply in five years, with load shedding suspended for more than 240 consecutive days.

According to South African Government News Agency, this has resulted in savings of some R16.33 billion in diesel costs.

‘[Last] week, the average total unplanned outages have dropped to 10 478MW – a notable improvement from 16 367MW recorded during the same period last year – representing a reduction of 5 890MW. This continuous progress in minimising unplanned outages allows Eskom to increase planned maintenance activities and ensures greater generation capacity is available to meet the nation’s electricity needs,’ Eskom said.

Over the same time period, the Energy Availability Factor was maintained at some 64.5% and 63.1% for the year to date. ‘In August, Eskom shared its Summer Outlook for the period from 1 September 2024 to 31 March 2025, predicting a likely scenario of a load shedding free summer due to structural generation improvements. This
outlook remains unchanged,’ Eskom said.

The electricity provider called on communities to help maintain the integrity of the power network by reporting any illegal activity. ‘While loadshedding remains suspended, Eskom continues to face network overloading issues in certain local areas due to illegal connections, vandalism, meter tampering, unauthorised network operations, theft of network equipment, and purchasing electricity from unlicensed vendors. To prevent public safety hazards and the risk of network overloading, which can lead to load reduction measures and extended unplanned power outages, Eskom strongly urges customers to avoid illegal connections. Such actions can negatively impact the entire local community and result in hefty remedial fines. It is also essential for customers to purchase electricity only from authorised vendors,’ Eskom said.