South Africa’s private generation market is showing strong momentum with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) registering 111 new generation facilities in the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year (April-June 2025). The facilities represent combined capacity of 1 916 MW and an estimated investment value of R51,91 billion.
This marks one of the strongest quarters since the registration framework was introduced in 2018. In just three months, nearly 2 GW was added to the pipeline – around 15% of the total capacity registered over the past seven years.
The average turnaround time for registrations improved to 11 working days – down from 15 days in the same quarter of 2024/25. “The improving turnaround times demonstrate NERSA’s continuous efforts to enhance efficiency and dedication, and to support the growth of the energy sector in South Africa,” says Nomfundo Maseti, Regulator Member responsible for Electricity Regulation.
Solar PV was the predominant technology during the quarter. In terms of facility numbers, Gauteng led with 31 registrations, followed by the Western Cape with 24 and KwaZulu-Natal with 14. By capacity and investment value, the Western Cape ranked first with 740,63 MW at R21,41 billion, followed by the Northern Cape with 506,55 MW at R14,82 billion and the Free State with 301,53 MW at R6,41 billion.
