South Africans are rapidly unplugging from Eskom in 2025, turning to private systems to power homes and businesses.
Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter told the BizNews Investment Conference that businesses added 6,100MW of private generation in 18 months, though official figures suggest around 5,000MW over three years. Since 2018, Nersa has registered 12.7GW of private capacity, worth an estimated R293 billion in investment, compared to Eskom’s R467 billion spent on Kusile and Medupi for 9.6GW combined.
The pace of adoption has accelerated sharply. Nersa registered 4.1 GW of private power in the first half of 2025, a 208% increase from the same period in 2024. Rising tariffs, rather than load-shedding, are now driving the private power boom.
Battery storage is reshaping the grid. Since 2024, SA has imported roughly 24,000MWh of lithium-ion capacity, reducing evening peaks and narrowing demand gaps…
As a result, Eskom’s total demand dropped 2.9% year-on-year, down to 146,203GWh by late September. Analysts say national demand could fall below 200,000GWh for the first time since 2000.
Battery storage is reshaping the grid. Since 2024, South Africa has imported roughly 24,000MWh of lithium-ion capacity, reducing evening peaks and narrowing demand gaps that once strained Eskom’s system.
In short, the private energy revolution, once driven by desperation, is now being fuelled by economics. South Africans aren’t just escaping load-shedding; they’re quietly leaving Eskom behind.
Read the full article at MyBroadband
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