State-owned Eskom has reported that eight of its 14 power stations are now operating at an energy availability factor (EAF) of 70% and higher, including one with an EAF of 91.1%, while three other power stations are performing steadily above 60%.

A significant contributor to this progress is the drop in unplanned outages to 8 888 MW, which is at its lowest point apart from the 8 258 MW recorded on October 28, 2024, Eskom said in a social media post on July 29.

Planned maintenance now stands at 4 654 MW, which is slightly higher than normal for this time of the year, it added.

The Eskom generation fleet is currently operating at a combined EAF of 71%, which does not include the additional 720 MW contribution from Kusile Unit 6 that has been providing power to the national grid since March 23.

While Kusile Unit 6 has not yet entered commercial operation, it is anticipated to do so after September, at which point it will formally further enhance Eskom’s overall EAF, the utility said.

The EAF reflects the availability of power stations, after taking into consideration the downtime for planned maintenance and unplanned outages, it added.

These achievements demonstrate the fleet’s growing stability and the execution of the generation recovery plan by Eskom’s workforce over the past two years is achieving these results, the company said.

“These positive results highlight the work of Eskom’s Generation team, which is backed by strong leadership and dedicated staff across the organisation. This is creating a more dependable energy supply by ensuring the country’s electricity needs are met without heavily relying on expensive emergency reserves during peak hours.”