South Africa's electricity mix in August 2023
In August 2023 South Africa's grid generated 18 586.1 GWh, of which coal supplied 77.8%. Demand averaged 25 648 MW and peaked at 32 778 MW on 1 August 2023.
Where the electricity came from
| Source | GWh | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 14 453.0 | 77.8% |
| Wind | 1 102.1 | 5.9% |
| Imports | 955.1 | 5.1% |
| Nuclear | 682.1 | 3.7% |
| Pumped storage | 451.3 | 2.4% |
| Solar PV | 393.2 | 2.1% |
| Diesel peakers | 369.9 | 2.0% |
| Concentrated solar | 79.8 | 0.4% |
| Hydro | 74.9 | 0.4% |
| Other renewables | 24.8 | 0.1% |
| Total supply | 18 586.1 | 100% |
Load shedding in August 2023
Eskom shed 1 004 GWh of demand across 658 hours, affecting 31 of the 31 days in the month. The heaviest single day was 31 August 2023, when 60.4 GWh was shed. Separately, contracted industrial customers on interruptible supply were curtailed by 6.2 GWh. That is demand management, not load shedding.
How this month compared
Carbon intensity averaged 825 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.