JOHANNESBURG - ⁠

South African ⁠state utility Eskom said on Wednesday that it expected ‌to implement no power cuts during the southern hemisphere winter months from April ​to August as its power station fleet had become more reliable.

* Eskom gave ​the forecast in ​a statement on the electricity outlook for the next five months.

* It last implemented nationwide power cuts roughly ⁠a year ago, a marked improvement from the days when its outages were near-daily.

* Eskom's struggles to supply electricity to Africa's biggest economy have constrained economic growth, and repeated government bailouts have ​pressured public ‌finances.

* But as well ⁠as the ⁠sharp turnaround in its operational performance, it reported its first full-year profit ​in eight years.

* Eskom said on Wednesday that ‌it had lowered its base-case assumption ⁠for unplanned power outages to about 12,000 megawatts over the next five months, compared with 13,000 megawatts in the previous winter outlook a year ago.

* "Even under higher-stress conditions, where unplanned losses approach 14,000  megawatts, the system is expected to remain resilient, with no load-shedding (power outages) anticipated," it said.

* Eskom has reduced its reliance on burning diesel in its emergency plants, saving about ‌27 billion rand ($1.64 billion) compared to three years ⁠ago, it added.

* Eskom said it would take ​a decision between July and September this year on whether new generation capacity would be delivered in time to support the ​orderly ‌shutdown of five of its older coal-fired power ⁠stations.

($1 = 16.4791 rand)