Development finance institutions (DFIs) the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have formed a partnership to collaborate on the development, financing and implementation of energy security projects within special economic zones (SEZs). Energy security within SEZs contributes to greater competitiveness by ensuring that industries are able to thrive without disruption, as SEZs attract significant investments, contribute to creating employment opportunities and are key drivers of economic growth.
State-owned power utility Eskom has extended the waiver of the registration fees for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems, such as rooftop solar power installations, for a further six months to end September 2026. All registration and connection fees – up to R10 000 for urban or residential customers and up to R36 000 for rural customers – are waived until September 30, 2026, for Eskom customers’ SSEG systems up to 50 kW.
While State-owned Eskom on March 13 said it had achieved more than 300 consecutive days without needing to implement loadshedding, a milestone reflecting a real and hard-won recovery in generation performance, a new national dataset indicates that, while loadshedding has receded, the lived experience of unreliable power has not. The ‘Wetility 2025 Energy Resilience Report’, based on real-time telemetry from a national network of solar and battery systems, recorded 91 934 unique grid power outages across South Africa in 2025.
The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) has confirmed that the target date of April 1, 2026, for the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) will not be met, and has announced that the launch has been delayed to the third quarter of 2026. The delay is not unexpected, and followed an assessment undertaken with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and industry participants, where it was concluded that additional work was required to ensure that all market, operational and regulatory requirements were fully in place ahead of the launch.
The Energy Council of South Africa has reiterated its support for the creation of an independent, State-owned Transmission System Operator (TSO), but has also called for a “phased transition” to mitigate the commercial and fiscal risks associated with Eskom’s unbundling. In a statement issued on behalf of the council’s board, which is chaired by Sasol’s Simon Baloyi, the council welcomed the creation by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a task team to develop an implementation roadmap for an independent TSO that would also own the transmission assets.
As gas receives more attention as a source of baseload electricity in South Africa and as the country nears a gas cliff for industrial users, there has been uncertainty about the required mix of gas-to-power projects, the load factors desired and whether open-cycle gas turbines or combined-cycle gas power plants are needed. During a webinar hosted by Creamer Media on March 25, experts unpacked the considerations for gas as a promising option to ensure energy security in the country, as well as the challenges to practically realise projects.
The electricity reforms that are under way respond to the deep economic, energy and climate pressures built up for decades. The transition to a multi-market model is a pathway to energy security, affordability and decarbonisation – and the private sector is already proving it works, writes energy wheeling company Energy Exchange of Southern Africa (EXSA) CEO Wayne Cowie.
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