State-owned utility: Eskom is South Africa’s main state-owned electricity company, headquartered in Johannesburg.

Dominant electricity supplier: It generates the majority of South Africa’s electricity and operates the national high-voltage transmission grid.

Coal-heavy generation mix: Most of its power comes from coal-fired stations, making it one of the world’s largest coal-based electricity producers and a major source of emissions.

Load shedding: Eskom has become known for implementing load shedding—controlled power cuts—due to generation shortfalls, aging plants, breakdowns, and maintenance issues.

Financial and structural challenges: It carries a large debt burden, depends on government support, and is undergoing restructuring/unbundling into separate generation, transmission, and distribution entities.