Eskom to the rescue: Five provinces become load reduction free

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KWAZULU-NATAL - Eskom has reached an important milestone in its nationwide Load Reduction Eradication Programme, with five of South Africa’s nine provinces now free from load reduction. To date, 1 104 225 customers have been removed from load reduction schedules, representing 56.17% performance towards the programme’s load reduction eradication target. Originally implemented to address overloaded local networks and protect electricity infrastructure, the programme has removed 545 feeders from load reduction nationally, with the remaining load reduction areas concentrated largely in Gauteng followed by KwaZulu-Natal.

This milestone follows the successful elimination of load reduction in Mpumalanga, joining the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and North West as provinces that are now free from load reduction. This progress keeps Eskom on track to eliminate load reduction in seven provinces by October 2026, with national eradication targeted by March 2027.

The achievement reflects Eskom’s broader strategy to pursue operational and financial sustainability by reducing energy losses and modernising the power system through targeted investment in strengthening distribution infrastructure. It also supports improved reliability and customer experience, while delivering tangible benefits to households, schools, clinics, businesses and communities through a more resilient and secure electricity network.

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