Eskom confident of meeting power demand as economic activity picks up

Smoke rising from an Eskom power station

Eskom says it’s ready to meet the projected rise in electricity demand. This is amid the heightened economic activity in the coming weeks, as industries gradually resume operations.

Group Executive for Generation, Eric Shunmagum says the utility goes into 2026 with an additional 4400 megawatts and around 70% Electricity Availability Factor.

The passing of the Eskom Debt Relief Act in 2023 saw a R254 billion injection that helped reduce financial pressure.

Shunmagum says,”If you really look at last year at this time, we were sitting at 56% EAF. This year, we are sitting at 64.5% EAF. That is an 8% increase of importance is then this additional 4400 megawatts of capacity that we have. We know that as of the middle of December, with schools closing and the industry shutting down, the demand does drop, but that resulted in us having quite a few units in coal reserve but starting this week, we’ve got quite a few of the units now ramping up in anticipation for the demand that’s expected in the next week or 2.”

#PowerSystemUpdate

Eskom’s power system remains stable, efficient, and stable and ready to meet the projected rise in electricity demand amid the heightened economic activity in the coming weeks

Key highlights include:
▪ Improved Energy Availability Factor (64.55% YTD)
▪… pic.twitter.com/wk2EeIrkQS

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) January 9, 2026