Eskom returns to profit after years of crisis

October 01, 2025

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For the first time in over eight years, South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, has recorded a profit before tax ($1.4 billion) for the year ending March 2025. This may signal a turnaround for the utility that has long been synonymous with load-shedding and financial instability. Years of restructuring and governance reforms seem finally to be bearing fruit.

  • The recovery comes as South Africa’s power market shifts toward private generation. Miners, manufacturers and retailers have invested billions in solar, wind and battery systems, often at prices below Eskom’s tariffs.

  • Eskom still holds a natural monopoly in transmission. Its best opportunity lies in expanding and modernising the grid to carry more renewable power across the country.

  • Our take:  Eskom should now expand its focus toward the broader regional market, where power exports can unlock new opportunities… Read more (2 min)

Industrial consumers now account for less than half of Kenya’s total electricity consumption, according to a report released yesterday by the energy regulator. Industry consumption dropped by 190 GWh in the year ending June 2025. Over the same period, captive power capacity increased by 71 MW as more large consumers turned to self-generation.

  • Captive power now makes up sixth of Kenya’s total installed capacity, with solar leading at 300 MW, accounting for about half of all captive generation. Bioenergy follows as the second-largest source at 162 MW.

  • A shift toward self-generation is accelerating across Africa, with companies seeking larger plants and exploring baseload solutions by acquiring battery energy storage.

  • Our take: As more large consumers exit the grid, regulators will need to rethink tariff structures for consumers… Read more (2 min)

AAAS Energy, a Dutch solar developer, has teamed up with US cloud computing firm ChillMine to develop a solar-powered data centre campus at Botswana’s Leupane Energy Hub. The facility aims to support AI computing and large-scale cloud providers with low-cost, sustainable power from a planned 250 MW solar and extensive battery storage installation.

  • Data centres are driving a new wave of renewable energy adoption in Africa. The expanding digital economy is hungry for sustainable and economically viable power solutions.

  • South Africa and Kenya lead in renewables-powered data centres. Nigeria has plans for a Tier 4 facility. Other countries piloting data centres include Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco and Egypt.

  • Our take: More global tech-meets-renewables investment is coming to Africa… Read more (2 min)

EDF Power Solutions South Africa celebrates breaking ground on Nieuwehoop, Aggeneis and Mookodi Battery Energy Storage Systems

Events

🗓️ Be at the Solar Africa Tanzania 2025 event (Oct 8)

🗓️ Register for the Nigeria Mining Week 2025 forum (Oct 13)

🗓️ Sign up for a webinar on the Southern Africa Power Pool (Oct 15)

Jobs 

🦺 Join EDF Power as an Asset Operations Project Manager (South Africa)

👩🏻‍💼 Become Sun King’s Senior Finance Associate (Cameroon)

🧑🏻‍💻 Lead KoolBook’s IoT tech innovations (Nigeria)

Various 

💡 Sola Panda announces that it is expanding into  Benin

🏆 Husk Power is shortlisted for the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards 

💰 Zambia’s renewable energy grows as ZCCM-IH buys into a solar project

🔌 Sineng Electric and Trina Storage connect the Abydos storage system to Egypt’s grid

Seen on LinkedIn 

Jones Ntaukira, Managing Director at Zuwa Energy, says, “The clean energy transition in Africa is only as strong as the financing behind it.”