Seven international-led consortia prequalify to bid for $1bn inaugural private grid build programme

South Africa has named seven pre-qualified bidders from an initial list of 17 respondents to the prequalification phase of the country’s inaugural independent transmission project (ITP) programme, a request for proposals (RfP) for which will be launched in the second half of 2026. The companies have been prequalified to bid to build 1 164-km of powerlines and associated substation infrastructure across seven preselected corridors, and the projects are expected to have a combined investment value of about $1-billion.