South Africa has recorded 441 days without load shedding, marking its longest uninterrupted supply period since rotational blackouts began more than a decade ago.
State-run power utility Eskom said the country has been without load shedding since 16 May 2025, with electricity demand met fully between 1 April and 30 July 2026 and its Winter Outlook projecting no blackouts through August.
The utility attributed the sustained improvement to stronger generation availability, additional capacity and a sharp decline in unplanned outages.
Reduced breakdowns and improved fleet reliability have also cut reliance on diesel‑fired open‑cycle gas turbines, with no diesel used for two consecutive weeks and year‑to‑date expenditure on fuel purchases dropping 85.67 percent to R807.41 million (about $49 million).
Eskom said the gains reflect progress under its Generation Recovery Plan.
The utility said 1.19 million customers have been removed from load‑reduction schedules, with six provinces cleared and nationwide eradication targeted for 2027.
JN/APA