South Africa registered 124 new renewable energy generation facilities worth an estimated R20.18 billion during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
The facilities registered by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) have a combined generation capacity of 804 MW and include solar photovoltaic and wind projects across all nine provinces.
Of the 124 facilities, 122 are solar PV projects representing 236 MW of capacity, while two wind facilities account for a further 568 MW.
The registrations demonstrate continued private investment in South Africa’s electricity sector as the country expands generation capacity and transitions towards a more diversified energy system.
NERSA processed the 124 registration applications in an average of 10 working days, improving on the average of 11 working days recorded during the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.
“This shows NERSA’s commitment to efficient evaluation and processing of generation facilities’ registration applications,” the regulator said.
The projects will connect to both municipal and Eskom electricity networks.
Sixty-three facilities, representing a combined 47 MW, will connect to municipal distribution networks. These projects carry an estimated investment value of R639 million.
The remaining 61 facilities will connect to the Eskom network, representing 757 MW of capacity and approximately R19.54 billion in investment.
NERSA reported an average investment cost of approximately R25,099 per kilowatt during the quarter.
The latest projects add to substantial investment in new electricity generation since South Africa’s registration regime was introduced in 2018.
Since then, NERSA has registered 2,619 generation facilities with a combined capacity of 20,131 MW.
The estimated investment associated with those facilities has now reached approximately R409 billion.
The scale of registered investment demonstrates the role new-generation projects can play in expanding South Africa’s electricity infrastructure while mobilising private capital.
Additional renewable generation can also contribute to energy security and support the development of a more competitive electricity sector.
“NERSA’s approval of 124 new generation facilities supports grid reliability and safety, improves national electricity planning, encourages private investment, expands generation capacity, strengthens South Africa’s energy security and facilitates the transition to a more competitive, renewable-based electricity sector,” the regulator said.
With more than R20 billion represented by registrations in the first quarter alone, the latest projects add another 804 MW to the growing pipeline of generation investment supporting South Africa’s changing energy landscape.
