The build-out of rooftop solar, alongside lower demand and rising tariffs, are said to have helped South African utility Eskom surpass one year without loadshedding.
South African utility Eskom reached 365 consecutive days without loadshedding on May 15, marking the first uninterrupted year of electricity supply since September 2018.
The company’s latest update says it is continuing to make steady progress in strengthening power system stability with gains driven by sustained improvements in plant performance, reliability and operational discipline.
Loadshedding in South Africa first began in late 2007 before intensifying in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The country went ten months without loadshedding between March 2024 and January 2025.
Chris Ahlfeldt, energy specialist at Blue Horizon Energy Consulting Services, told pv magazine that lower demand, rising tariffs and the rapid build-out of behind-the-meter rooftop solar PV capacity, now estimated at more than 7.5 GW, has helped to stop loadshedding for now.
