Eskom has managed something South Africa hasn’t seen in years — almost an entire winter without loadshedding.
Eskom loadshedding kept at bay – but at a high cost
According to the utility’s latest Power Alert on Friday, 8 August 2025, there has been no loadshedding since mid-May, with only 26 hours of blackouts recorded between April and July.
However, this stability has come at a cost. Reports indicate that Eskom has already burned through more than half of its annual diesel budget in just the past four months.
Diesel is used to run open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), which are essentially backup power plants that can be switched on quickly when demand spikes or when other power stations break down.
What Eskom’s latest Power Alert tells us
Eskom says the power system is “operating reliably” thanks to its Generation Recovery Plan, which aims to improve plant performance. As of 8 August, unplanned outages stood at 11 170MW — still high, but below the critical 13 000MW threshold that triggers loadshedding.
The utility’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF) — a measure of how much of its generation fleet is online — has improved to about 65% for August so far, compared to around 60% earlier this winter.
But diesel use has spiked. Eskom’s own figures show it spent R5.842 billion on diesel between April and early August, generating nearly double the electricity from OCGTs compared to the same period last year.
Eskom’s looming money matters: The Debt Relief Amendment Bill
Keeping the lights on is only half the battle — Eskom also has to manage its crippling debt. This is where the Eskom Debt Relief Amendment Bill (B4-2025) comes in.
The original 2023 debt relief plan gave Eskom staggered funding over several years to help it repay debt while meeting operational needs.
The amendment now before Parliament makes two key changes :
- Increased 2025/26 allocation – Eskom’s funding for this financial year will jump from R40 billion to R80.233 billion. This amount will be treated as a loan that can be converted into equity if Eskom meets certain conditions, such as improving its financial and operational performance.
- New 2028/29 allocation – Eskom will also receive R10 billion in that financial year.
This is essentially government doubling down on its commitment to keep Eskom afloat — but with the expectation that the utility will clean up its operations and reduce reliance on bailouts.
While Eskom’s diesel spending has prevented loadshedding this winter, it is not a sustainable long-term solution. Diesel generation is expensive and polluting, and the more Eskom spends on it, the less money is available for maintenance, new infrastructure, and reducing debt.
With the debt relief amendment potentially injecting more funds, the challenge will be whether Eskom can use the money to address the root causes of breakdowns rather than continuously relying on costly emergency measures.