South Africa's electricity mix in March 2023
In March 2023 South Africa's grid generated 18 195.8 GWh, of which coal supplied 77.6%. Demand averaged 25 943 MW and peaked at 30 558 MW on 1 March 2023.
Where the electricity came from
| Source | GWh | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 14 116.7 | 77.6% |
| Wind | 971.5 | 5.3% |
| Imports | 835.6 | 4.6% |
| Nuclear | 685.1 | 3.8% |
| Solar PV | 435.4 | 2.4% |
| Hydro | 347.4 | 1.9% |
| Pumped storage | 338.9 | 1.9% |
| Diesel peakers | 299.8 | 1.6% |
| Concentrated solar | 143.1 | 0.8% |
| Other renewables | 21.7 | 0.1% |
| Gas | 0.7 | 0.0% |
| Total supply | 18 195.8 | 100% |
Load shedding in March 2023
Eskom shed 1 515 GWh of demand across 663 hours, affecting 30 of the 31 days in the month. The heaviest single day was 7 March 2023, when 90.7 GWh was shed. Separately, contracted industrial customers on interruptible supply were curtailed by 6.5 GWh. That is demand management, not load shedding.
How this month compared
Carbon intensity averaged 821 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, against a world average of 458 g/kWh in 2025 and an Africa average of about 530 g/kWh. Renewables (wind, solar PV, CSP and other renewables reporting to Eskom) supplied 8.5% of generation.
Figures are calculated from Eskom's published hourly data. Rooftop solar sits behind the meter and is not included.