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REUTERS
According to the latest data released by Eskom from April 2024 to March 2025, Eskom only managed to reach 60.6 percent of its 70 percent energy availability factor (EAF) target. The EAF is a measure of the power utility’s performance of its power stations.
In November last year, Eskom said in a statement that their Generation Recovery Plan would see the power utility meet or exceed their 70 percent EAF target by March 2025, for the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
“Eskom continues to realise efficiencies from the investments made in the Generation Recovery Plan that have contributed to South Africa’s energy security and a structural improvement in the coal-fired fleet,” Eskom said in their statement.
The latest data from Eskom shows that Eskom’s EAF for 2024/25 peaked at an average of 67 percent in July 2024 after seeing a rapid rise that started in May 2024, just before the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. after that, Eskom’s EAF dropped drastically to 56 percent in December 2024, down from 62 percent in November 2024.
This drop in energy availability coincided with the power utility suffering major unplanned outages in November 2024 that saw it go from an average of 10 700 MW of lost capacity in November 2024, increasing to 13 800 MW average for January 2025, breaking Eskom’s 10-month streak of no loadshedding.
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