Eskom has spent R5,842 billion on diesel to run its open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) plants between April 1 and August 7, generating 988,56 GWh of electricity over the period. The figures were released in the Department of Electricity and Energy’s latest State of Electricity briefing.
According to Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Eskom’s diesel budget for the 2025 financial year, starting April 1, is about R12 billion. This means that half of the allocated budget has been used in just over four months. “OCGTs have been used more frequently this year than in 2024, even with reduced load-shedding hours, as part of a strategy to maintain grid stability while the coal fleet undergoes maintenance and recovery,” he says.
A total of R9,87 billion was spent on diesel between April 1, 2024 and January 23, 2025, with an allocated budget of R5,8 billion for this period.
The high diesel use comes despite an uninterrupted supply period since May 15 with only 26 hours of load shedding recorded between April 1 and July 31. The year-to-date OCGT load factor is 9,35% – almost double the 4,82% recorded for the same period last year and more than triple the 2,99% in 2023. For the week ending August 8, the load factor rose to 5,99% from just 0,31% the week before.
The report also highlighted that the energy availability factor has improved to 60,14% year-to-date, up from 55,75% in April, with the month-to-date average for August reaching 65,38%. The department attributed the improvement to disciplined maintenance execution and the return to service of key generation units, including Medupi Unit 4 in July.
