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Upcoming launch of electricity market seen as key step towards competition

Various organisations in the electricity sector are anticipating the start of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) this year as a step towards phasing in a liberalised market, in which various participants will provide services – from generation, transmission, distribution, aggregation and sales to balancing and peaking services. The objective is “to move from a sector in reform to a sector that is reformed, functional and thriving”, according to law firm TGR Attorneys director Masedi Tlhong.
February 13, 2026 by

Eskom says it may take trading rules on legal review, as it calls for material changes

Eskom has raised a slew of legal and technical issues with the draft trading rules being considered for approval by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and has indicated that it is ready to take legal action should the rules not be amended. This new threat of a legal challenge was made during Nersa hearings into the trading rules on February 12.
February 12, 2026 by

Optipower transaction bolsters Kulani Energy transmission EPC capacity

Black women-owned engineering and energy infrastructure firm Kulani Energy has acquired key assets from Optipower that historically operated as a division of Murray & Roberts Limited, which is in business rescue. Optipower is one of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors approved on Eskom’s Panel A, supporting the National Transmission Company South Africa’s planned roll-out of more than 14 000 km of transmission lines.
February 11, 2026 by

With demand 98% covered, Eskom can now turn its focus to pricing models – Marokane

Eskom has arrived at a position where it can turn its attention to determining the appropriate pricing in support of the various sectors of the economy – especially vulnerable sectors, says Eskom group CEO Dan Marokane. Participating in a panel on ‘Progress through private sector partnerships’ at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town this week, the power utility boss said the percentage of time Eskom was able to meet demand from a supply perspective stood at 9% just over two years ago.
February 11, 2026 by

Landmark private solar-battery hybrid project aims to enter into operation in 2028

A large-scale hybrid solar and battery project, underpinned by a landmark 25-year private power purchase agreement (PPA) with Sasol and Air Liquide, has achieved financial close and is targeting to enter into commercial operation in 2028. The Naos-1 hybrid solar and battery project will be built on a site near Viljoenskroon, in the Free State, by the SOLA Group.
February 10, 2026 by

Operation Vulindlela represents incomplete reforms until lived experiences improve – Bernstein

While South Africa has made progress since forming the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2024, particularly in electricity and logistics reform, these incomplete achievements fall short of building the deep credibility needed to convince investors and businesses that the future will be meaningfully better, says public policy think tank Centre for Development and Enterprise executive director Ann Bernstein. There are some areas of progress and the GNU deserves credit, but the question is not whether some things are better than they were, but whether the country genuinely believes it is on a trajectory that will lift investment, growth and employment; none of which has improved meaningfully.
February 10, 2026 by

Discovery Green sees trader‑led wheeling becoming dominant commercial model in 2026

The head of Discovery Green, the renewable-energy trading unit of JSE-listed Discovery, is forecasting that trader‑led wheeling will become the dominant commercial model in the South African electricity market in 2026. In a wide-ranging statement, Discovery Green CEO Andre Nepgen highlights that the wheeling framework has matured and that the market is, thus, poised to move beyond one‑to‑one bilateral agreements and toward more aggregated solutions.
February 10, 2026 by

Policy certainty and open access critical for transmission investment — ENGIE

South Africa’s electricity transmission grid is emerging as a central pillar of the country’s energy reform and decarbonisation drive, with global energy group ENGIE positioning itself as a potential long-term partner in grid expansion, flexibility solutions and market development. Speaking during a recent webinar on investing in South Africa’s electricity transmission grid, ENGIE South Africa’s MD for Renewables and Batteries Sanjeev Mungroo said the country’s reform trajectory broadly aligns with international best practice, particularly in the move from a vertically integrated monopoly model towards a more competitive, unbundled electricity sector.
February 9, 2026 by

Nersa says Eskom can increase charges more than previously approved

South Africa’s energy regulator said on Sunday that it granted State utility Eskom larger electricity rate increases for its next two financial years than originally set after admitting errors in its earlier calculations. Eskom’s prices will now rise 8.76% in April this year and 8.83% in April 2027 instead of 5.36% and 6.19%, regulator Nersa said in a statement.
February 9, 2026 by