Eskom to decide fate of older coal stations by September

Eskom will decide by end of September 2026 whether to shut down, repower, or repurpose five aging coal-fired power stations — Camden, Grootvlei, Hendrina, Arnot, and Kriel. The decision hinges on whether replacement capacity from renewables, gas, and storage can be contractually secured in time. South Africa has gone 341 consecutive days without load shedding, backed by a 6GW peak surplus and improved energy availability factor of 65.35% in FY2026. However, Eskom flagged a critical risk: only about half of renewable projects awarded since IRP2019 have been built, creating a potential supply gap between 2029 and 2030. Dispatchable gas-to-power capacity was identified as a key enabler for large-scale renewable integration before any coal retirements proceed.