Eskom’s winter update put the utility’s year-to-date Energy Availability Factor at 67.79% by Sept. 3 — the highest since 2020 — while diesel spend on open-cycle turbines fell by about R4.84 billion versus the prior-year period.
Lethabo Power Station, Free State — coal fleet unit in Eskom’s generation system that lifted winter EAF. Wikimedia Commons.
Winter without the old panic
Early-September operational updates credit CEO Dan Marokane’s push for meeting winter demand with far less diesel. That is the story markets can price: fewer emergency turbines, more planned fleet hours.
Kendal Power Station — another Eskom coal plant illustrative of the fleet behind higher availability. Wikimedia Commons.
Profits up, customers still angry
A R30 billion-class annual profit lands poorly beside an 8.8% tariff application running at roughly double inflation. The Citizen’s Sept. 8 editorial hammered cumulative tariff escalation since 2007 and warned that theft plus non-payment still threaten the recovery narrative.
Table Bay and Cape Town skyline — Western Cape backdrop for SA energy and household budget stories. Wikimedia Commons.
What expats should watch next
For households and businesses budgeting from abroad, the EAF print is the leading indicator that load-shedding risk stays contained into spring. The lagging indicator is municipal collection — if arrears keep climbing, today’s diesel savings can reverse the moment units trip and OCGT hours surge again.
