South Africa's electricity mix in March 2024
In March 2024 South Africa's grid generated 18 156.0 GWh, of which coal supplied 78.3%. Demand averaged 24 553 MW and peaked at 29 355 MW on 19 March 2024.
Where the electricity came from
| Source | GWh | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 14 216.1 | 78.3% |
| Imports | 869.0 | 4.8% |
| Wind | 813.7 | 4.5% |
| Nuclear | 695.4 | 3.8% |
| Diesel peakers | 482.6 | 2.7% |
| Solar PV | 460.4 | 2.5% |
| Pumped storage | 388.1 | 2.1% |
| Concentrated solar | 125.1 | 0.7% |
| Hydro | 90.2 | 0.5% |
| Other renewables | 14.7 | 0.1% |
| Gas | 0.7 | 0.0% |
| Total supply | 18 156.0 | 100% |
Load shedding in March 2024
Eskom shed 560 GWh of demand across 430 hours, affecting 26 of the 31 days in the month. The heaviest single day was 14 March 2024, when 41.5 GWh was shed. Separately, contracted industrial customers on interruptible supply were curtailed by 5.9 GWh. That is demand management, not load shedding.
How this month compared
Carbon intensity averaged 835 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 7.7% of generation.
Figures are calculated from Eskom's published hourly data. Rooftop solar sits behind the meter and is not included.