South Africa experienced a sharp reduction in loadshedding during the first half of this year, with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) reporting on September 26 that the amount of electricity shed fell by 82% compared with the same period in 2024.

According to the council’s latest power generation statistics, covering the period from January 1 to June 30, a total of 749 GWh was shed from the grid, down from 4 126 GWh in the first half of last year. The report attributes this improvement to lower electricity demand, new generation capacity and a marginal rise in Eskom’s energy availability factor (EAF).

The study shows that peak electricity demand during the first half of the year was 3% lower than in the corresponding period of 2024. The decline in demand was partly linked to the growing uptake of private sector generation capacity.

Eskom’s installed generation capacity rose by 720 MW compared with the same period last year, with additional energy produced from coal, as well as new contributions from independent wind and concentrated solar power producers.

The reliability of Eskom’s power plants also improved modestly. The utility’s EAF averaged 58% in the six months to June 30, up from 57% in the first half of 2024.

This improvement was mainly driven by a reduction in planned maintenance and a slight improvement in other capacity loss factors. Together, the reduction in demand, new capacity additions and the higher EAF helped to reduce loadshedding levels.

However, the report notes that the reliance on diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines increased sharply, with use nearly doubling from an average of 7% in the first half of 2024 to 12% over the same period this year.

The CSIR analysis also highlighted the continued rise in electricity tariffs, which have increased by 190% since 2014. The report points out that the national average tariff has risen by about 10% a year over the past decade, compared with an average inflation rate of 5.2%.

The projected 2026 tariff hike of 8.76% is set to exceed the consumer price index forecast of 4.5% and is already higher than the levelised cost of electricity from new utility-scale solar PV projects, raising concerns over affordability.

The council’s report provides a comparative overview of Eskom’s generation resources for the first half of this year, including coal, nuclear, hydro, pumped storage, open-cycle gas turbines, renewable energy from the independent power producer procurement programme and embedded or private solar PV capacity. It assessed the installed capacities and production outputs of these resources to gauge their effect on the power system.

The findings indicate that while South Africa’s power supply situation improved significantly in the first half of this year, structural concerns remain.

Loadshedding levels were reduced substantially, but the gains were supported in part by falling demand and heavier reliance on diesel generation, while households and businesses continue to face electricity tariffs that are rising faster than inflation and, in some cases, higher than the cost of new renewable energy supply.