The energy company Eskom has announced that over one million consumers have been removed from the power reduction schedules. The company continues its work to completely eliminate this measure nationwide by 2027.
Progress in the Program
According to the utility, approximately 1.09 million customers, which accounts for 65% of the set target, are no longer subject to load shedding. Furthermore, the program has been fully completed in five provinces.
Eskom specified that 544 feeder lines have been taken off the load shedding schedule, exceeding half of the 971 target lines within this program.
Measures to Improve Power Supply
The company stated that key factors for ending power reductions include the implementation of smart meters, grid modernization, and efforts to combat illegal connections and electricity theft.
Eskom has deployed 1,861,180 smart meters across the country. Of these, 472,100 have been installed on lines participating in load shedding, accounting for approximately 25% of installations in high-priority areas.
Approximately 93% of these installations are concentrated in the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal, where network pressure is highest. Meter rollout remains focused on areas with high losses resulting from illegal connections, infrastructure overload, and electricity theft.
Reduction in Diesel Fuel Costs
IOL previously reported that the utility also noted a reduction in diesel fuel costs by more than 85% in the first two and a half months of the current financial year. This was due to improved generation performance, which reduced the need to use diesel-powered turbines.
Between April 1 and June 18, 2026, Eskom spent 640.27 million rand on diesel fuel, compared to 4.515 billion rand for the same period last year. The reduction in diesel consumption was attributed to increased power station efficiency, fewer unplanned outages, and greater availability of electricity across the company's generating fleet.
