The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) remains optimistic about prospects for ongoing growth in South Africa, stating in its newly released ‘Global Wind Report 2026’ that the country has about 17 GW of advanced projects that could enter construction within the next five years. While acknowledging the grid constraints that are limiting wind installations, the report nevertheless describes South Africa as an attractive market.
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Scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand have designed South Africa’s first app to warn residents of pollution levels, as Johannesburg suffers a spike in coal emissions in recent weeks, causing breathing problems and other health issues. Africa’s wealthiest city lies not far from the country’s coal mines and the rotten-egg smell of sulphur has often been present in the air.
Independent power producer Mulilo reports that construction of its R1.4-billion Mercury Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project will begin soon and that the facility is scheduled to enter into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2027. The 76 MW/304 MWh project is the first of five projects awarded to Mulilo during Bid Window 2 of the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme to have advanced to financial close.
Even under the low-carbon scenario, modelled by consulting firm Bain & Co in its ‘Global Energy and Materials Outlook 2026’ report, fossil fuel supply constitutes 52% of global primary energy supply by 2040 and the world warms by 2.1 °C by 2100. Even in the most coordinated decarbonisation scenario, climate impacts are severe and require that capital be allocated to resilience strategies, it notes.
Two of South Africa’s major labour unions have accepted state power utility Eskom’s 7% wage increase offer, while a third has rejected it and declared a deadlock, demanding a higher raise, union representatives said on Thursday. Eskom began pay talks last year with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and Solidarity, with several rounds of negotiations continuing until this month.
South Africa’s power grid is entering a high-risk phase as the rapid rise of rooftop solar and renewable energy is starting to outpace the system’s original design capacity. The transition to cleaner energy is no longer just an opportunity but also represents a technical balancing act that could determine grid stability in the years ahead, highlights global energy technology company Schneider Electric Middle East and Africa power and grid segment VP Taru Madangombe.
The adoption of smart grid technologies is crucial for the future of South Africa’s power grid and its efficiency. Intelligence is key and smart grids are an enabler of intelligence, highlights University of Pretoria Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Department head Professor Raj Naidoo. A significant portion of the country’s transmission and distribution losses arise from undetected faults, unmetered consumption, ageing assets operating beyond their design envelope and the absence of real-time situational awareness.
Decentralised microgrids are proving critical to accelerating electrification, easing energy constraints and improving resilience across South Africa, highlights South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) renewable energy manager Dr Karen Surridge. Microgrids are increasingly being positioned as a core component of the solution to the country’s energy access challenges, particularly in remote, underserved and fast-growing areas where conventional infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Surridge stressed that decentralised systems are not only expedient but also a necessary complement to broader electrification efforts.
South Africa’s cable industry has the capacity and expertise to support grid optimisation, but only if it is protected against substandard imports that are undermining the safety and performance of industrial, domestic and renewable-energy installations, notes wire and electric cable manufacturer South Ocean Electric Wire (SOEW) CEO Andre Smith. He says the grid faces growing demand from renewable-energy integration, industrial recovery and electrification goals, with utilities, such as State-owned power utility Eskom and municipalities, increasingly relying on innovative reconductoring and uprating solutions to unlock additional capacity on existing corridors without lengthy environmental approvals or new tower construction.
South Africa’s electricity reform momentum risks stalling unless transmission infrastructure is urgently expanded, with grid capacity, rather than generation investment, now the primary constraint to unlocking private investments and ensuring energy security, says renewable-energy company Discovery Green executive director and actuarial research head Dan Ginsberg. He argues that, in addition to continued policy reform, the immediate priority should be focused on the physical power grid build-out at scale. South Africa’s energy transition is increasingly shaped by a structural imbalance, with strong private-sector appetite to build generation capacity, but insufficient transmission capacity to connect new projects.
INDUSTRY NEWS
- South Africa’s pipeline of advanced wind projects stands at 17 GW – GWECApril 21, 2026 - 1:04 pm
- As coal chokes Johannesburg, South African scientists launch pollution warning appApril 21, 2026 - 11:04 am
- R1.4bn Mercury BESS project scheduled to enter into operation in Q4 2027April 20, 2026 - 12:04 pm
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