Eskom’s energy availability factor (EAF) has improved for the first time since 2017, reaching 60% in 2024, up from 55% in 2023.
This is according to the latest annual report on national utility-scale generation by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The improvement was driven by a reduction in unplanned plant failures and an increase in planned maintenance under Eskom’s generation recovery plan.
The higher EAF and lower electricity demand contributed to reduced reliance on diesel generators with their usage dropping from 12% in 2023 to 6% in 2024. Energy imports also fell by 8% as Eskom’s improved generation capacity helped decrease external supply needs, the report says.
The report also indicates a slight decline in renewable energy generation (1%) with hydropower production falling sharply by 46% from 2 TWh to 1,1 TWh due to lower hydro inflows.
Overall, national energy generation rose by 4% from 212,7 TWh in 2023 to 221,2 TWh in 2024 while electricity demand dropped by 3%. The CSIR attributes the decline in demand to an increase in private-sector generation capacity.
