In the news
Roundup of energy and electricity news and developments in South Africa
31 August to 13 September 2026
1. Lower diesel burn powers Eskom profit surge as electricity sales slide.
2. Health, legal and financial costs rise for SA’s biggest polluters, Eskom and Sasol.
3. End-2027 deadline set for independent TSO as asset dispute settles.
4. New electricity pricing policy (EPP) lands as consumers face another steep hike.
5. Cape Town, Zambia and Mozambique drive new clean-energy projects.
6. Angola and Mozambique accelerate regional oil and gas investment.
7. South Africa pushes refinery revival as gas-supply cliff approaches.
8. Debt, corruption and failing grids deepen municipal electricity crisis.
9. Development finance steps up as energy and municipal pressures mount.
10. New appointment, departure and uncertainty at SANEDI and Eskom.
17 August to 30 August 2026
1. R2.3bn 148 MW Voltalia Bolobedu solar project starts supplying Richards Bay Minerals.
2. Transparency and electricity subsidies clash in proposed electricity pricing overhaul.
3. Private renewable-energy investment accelerates across Southern Africa.
4. South Africa's private renewable energy pipeline expands amid tracking challenges.
5. Scathing SCA judgment finds Eskom breached environmental obligations at Kusile.
6. Eskom procurement scandals persist as chairman receives engineering accolade.
7. Joburg settles Eskom debt, but financial and service-delivery crisis remains.
8. Gas, helium and hydrogen projects advance as South Africa’s fuel-security risks persist.
9. Government / Business partnership shifts from reform to growth in Phase III.
10. Tons of dead sardines and a turbine trip take down the Koeberg nuclear power plant.
3 August to 16 August 2026
1. Presidency and Eskom clash over pace of market reform and transmission independence.
2. Offshore oil and gas: South African courts send a nuanced message to investors.
3. China energy mission targets new generation, grid expansion and industrialisation.
4. Some South African cities show how municipal electricity can move with the times.
5. Elsewhere, the municipal electricity crisis deepens as finances and networks buckle.
6. Secunda rebounds as Sasol confronts its carbon and compliance dilemma.
7. Power prices deepen distress across South Africa’s industrial heartland.
8. Wind and solar projects in new phase of South Africa’s energy transition.
9. Zambia and Eswatini accelerate RE investment to strengthen energy security.
10. New financing tools to unlock energy infrastructure development in Southern Africa.
20 July to 2 August 2026
1. Presidency draws a line to back full NTCSA separation from Eskom’s grid ambitions.
2. Eskom changes tack on reimbursement of IPP curtailment claims after industry pressure.
3. World Bank backs South Africa’s electricity, logistics and water reform drive.
4. Private renewable energy projects continue to reshape South Africa’s power market.
5. Regional solar, storage and oil energy investment grows as hydropower risks deepen.
6. National Treasury retreats from the brink and releases municipal funds.
7. Gauteng’s metros buckle under political instability, debt and infrastructure decay.
8. South Africa’s EV market shifts into a higher gear after a slow start.
6 July to 19 July 2026
1. Municipalities face fiscal reckoning as Treasury withholds billions.
2. Hybrid power and self-generation driving South Africa’s renewable build-out.
3. South Africa’s residential VPP market moves from pilot to platform.
4. Solar and batteries reshape power security for South African farms.
5. Tshwane Mooikloof judgement puts municipal electricity rights under the spotlight.
6. ACTOM’s Pretoria West facility targets South Africa’s growing BESS market.
7. Koeberg mishaps sharpen scrutiny of ageing plant and outage management.
8. Transmission fault brings Zimbabwe’s national grid down.
9. SADC puts regional power integration back at centre stage.
22 June to 5 July 2026
1. Eskom debt, cash crunch and wage pressures tighten around Johannesburg.
2. Extortion, theft and diesel contracts expose power-sector crime wave.
3. Corporate PPAs and public procurements driving South Africa’s renewables build.
4. Manganese smelting shuts down in South Africa, while aluminium attracts global buyer.
5. Leadership churn and energy appointments test institutional continuity.
6. Fixed electricity charges present pain for farmers, households and the poor.
7. Eskom objections slow the path to electricity trading and market reform.
8. Gas-to-power hopes hinge on terminals, tenants and timing.
9. From securitisation to blended finance, energy funding diversifies.
8 June to 21 June 2026
1. Gas-to-power ambitions take centre stage at Richards Bay.
2. The launch of Eskom Green raises hopes – and market concerns.
3. City Power crisis shifts from debt dispute to governance failure.
4. Renewable energy curtailment row exposes trust deficit in Eskom-led market.
5. Courts clip Eskom’s wings again.
6. Renewable energy finance shifts from ambition to bankability.
7. Energy storage and sustainable aviation fuels widen South Africa’s energy transition.
8. Renewable energy mergers and acquisitions in South Africa.
9. Regional renewables pipeline moves from potential to projects.
25 May to 7 June 2026
1. Wheeling, finance and corporate demand drives new clean energy in South Africa.
2. Regional renewable energy pipeline gathers pace across Southern Africa.
3. Debt-for-energy deal aims to strengthen Zambia’s finances and electricity supply.
4. Temporary reprieve for City Power Johannesburg as its electricity finances unravel.
5. Treasury’s rescue plan falters as Eskom tightens pressure amid tariff increases.
6. First major project announced alongside launch of Eskom Green on 9 June 2026.
7. South Africa’s oil and gas sector sees strategic moves despite transition pressures.
8. NERSA approves smelter tariff lifeline as industrial policy debate intensifies.
9. eThekwini solar PV and battery pilot signals growing interest in Virtual Power Plants.
11 May to 24 May 2026
1. Joburg power crisis becomes financial and political flashpoint ahead of local elections.
2. Municipal electricity debt crisis exposes deeper flaws in local government funding.
3. South African electricity market reform slows amid growing pressure for clarity.
4. South Africa steps up its EV and hydrogen mobility ambitions.
5. New deals and capital flows reshape Southern Africa’s energy market landscape.
6. Renewable energy project momentum continues across South Africa.
7. Regional solar and off-grid projects accelerate beyond South Africa.
8. Nuclear expansion plans at Thyspunt site revive as civil society resistance grows.
9. Corruption concerns resurface at Eskom over diesel supply contracts.
28 April to 10 May 2026
1. Alternative energy announcements in South Africa in the last two weeks.
2. Regional power sector sees fresh momentum in solar, storage and hydro.
3. Industry calls for strategic localisation as South Africa’s energy build-out expands.
4. Smelters, steelmakers and miners seek lifeline from Eskom and NERSA.
5. South Africa’s nuclear ambitions advance, but advisory panel still absent.
6. Regional oil and gas sector stirs with Natref bids and Mozambique LNG advances.
7. South Africa’s municipal electricity debt crisis enters a new and risky phase.
8. Corruption allegations deepen governance concerns in South Africa’s electricity sector.
13 April to 27 April 2026
1. Envusa’s 520 MW Koruson 2 project marks milestone in mining decarbonisation drive.
2. Big renewable energy builds gather pace as solar, BESS and wind pipeline deepens.
3. Meanwhile, Virginia and Oya controversies raise red flags for renewable project oversight.
4. New deals and generation builds outside South Africa signal a regional power shift.
5. Reform, resistance and looming deadlines in South Africa’s electricity market agenda.
6. Long-awaited Electricity Pricing Policy nears release amid tariff pressures.
7. Refinery shifts and legal battles reshaping South Africa’s liquid fuels landscape.
8. Three-year 7% Eskom annual wage increase pact brings stability – but not consensus.
9. Joburg and City Power under strain as funding dries up and debts mount.
10. New power sector funding targets grid constraints and energy transition risks.
30 March to 12 April 2026
1. Three major court defeats in recent weeks expose Eskom governance fault lines.
2. Eskom seals deal of R0.62 per kWh with Glencore Merafe as NERSA scrutiny looms.
3. Liquid fuel supply and price shocks reveal South Africa’s fragile energy safety net.
4. Renewables investment wave builds behind South Africa’s energy transition.
5. Old coal, new rhetoric as South Africa balances energy security and decarbonisation.
6. Utility-scale battery and solar PV projects reach key milestones across South Africa.
7. Ramokgopa’s nuclear panel plan jars with SMR request for expressions of interest.
16 March to 29 March 2026
1. Double blow for consumers as liquid fuel and power prices set to rise on 1 April.
2. Smelters under continued strain as power costs trigger closures and standoffs.
3. Appeal Court lifts veil of secrecy on Eskom fuel supply contracts and beyond.
4. Fresh funds, reforms and deals flow in South Africa's energy transition.
5. New project announcements signal momentum in municipal and private power.
6. SAWEM delays and transmission asset ownership tensions cloud electricity reform.
7. Mulilo-Eskom-Scatec dispute exposes growing tensions over scarce grid capacity.
8. Eskom extends residential solar PV registration deadline amid rising resistance.
2 March to 15 March 2026
1. Innovative GreenCo solar trading model recognised at IJGlobal Awards.
2. Liquid fuels policy drift under Mantashe leaves South Africa dangerously exposed.
3. Eighteen years on, and South Africa still awaits a national Integrated Energy Plan.
4. World Bank funding aims to unlock billions for SA transmission and infrastructure.
5. New funding and offtake deals push major solar projects to financial close.
6. Repeated Koeberg outages raise questions over management of life-extension project.
7. Eskom moves against defaulting municipalities as arrears exceed R110-billion.
8. Urban power crisis deepens across South Africa’s major metros.
9. Toxic air across the Highveld: H₂S stench and SO₂ emissions spark renewed concern.
16 February to 1 March 2026
1. From policy to power: SAETA sets out 10-point plan for electricity market reform.
2. Rule of law prevails: Sibanye wins court battle against Eskom blocking solar project.
3. Independent transmission asset ownership pledged over Eskom and Ramokgopa plan.
4. Third local solar PV module manufacturer comes online as EGA launches Paarl facility.
5. Pollution pledge or price hike? – Eskom’s Medupi flue gas desulphurisation dilemma.
6. Eskom’s R0.62/kWh offer to ferrochrome smelters raises more questions than answers.
7. Trader momentum builds as Eskom pauses legal challenge to NERSA licences.
8. New transmission substations and cross-border links to unlock grid constraints.
9. From Northern Cape to Zimbabwe: clean energy pipeline expands across the region.
2 February to 15 February 2026
1. Ramaphosa draws a line: A grid independent from Eskom to anchor power reform.
2. Project Management Office (PMO) established to drive renewable energy masterplan.
3. Electricity trading rules in the balance, as Eskom signals possible legal showdown.
4. NERSA resets MYPD6 after court rebuke over proposed R54-billion settlement.
5. Mozal aluminium smelter to close: power deal collapse extends regional energy woes.
6. Renewable energy growth with hybrid, storage and corporate project announcements.
7. Funding, acquisitions and capacity consolidation signal expanding energy ecosystem.
8. Eskom wage negotiations raise cost and reliability concerns and complicate reform.
19 January to 1 February 2026
1. R106bn Eskom revenue clawback threatens price surge despite talk of cheaper power.
2. Declining Eskom electricity demand exposes growing revenue and tariff dilemma.
3. NERSA’s emergency ferrochrome tariff relief sparks debate over who pays the price.
4. South Africa’s JETP climate finance tensions flare as Ramokgopa questions affordability.
5. Eskom unbundling fault lines deepen as credibility of reform process is questioned.
6. Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay in darkness amid fractured utility governance.
7. Mozambique gas revival amid supply fragility: what it means for South Africa.
8. Record new embedded generation registrations signal renewable surge in South Africa.
5 January to 18 January 2026
1. Legal challenges loom over Eskom’s threat to cut off unregistered home solar users.
2. Eskom’s mixed messaging on electricity trading licences deepens credibility gap.
3. Government bends rules to salvage energy-intensive industries amid Eskom cost crisis.
4. Municipal electricity failure poses structural economic risk beyond local government.
5. Chaos as tariff bungles force NERSA to redo electricity price determinations across SA.
6. Mounting criticism of lack of NTCSA independence and stalled electricity market code.
22 December 2025 to 4 January 2026
1. Eskom ends 2025 with plant performance on a high as annual EAF climbs above 62%.
2. €50m EU guarantee strengthens GreenCo’s role as regional power offtaker and trader.
3. Court rejects R54bn NERSA/Eskom settlement negotiated behind closed doors.
4. Ramaphosa appoints new Presidential Climate Commission to drive just transition.
5. Creditors, investors push back amid Eskom NTCSA/TSO independence debate.
6. Rising Eskom tariffs push industrial employers to the brink, fuelling job-cut warnings.