South Africa’s renewable energy boom is not slowing down. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) registered 124 new renewable energy generation facilities in the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, representing a combined 804 megawatts of capacity and an estimated R20.18 billion in investment.
Even better news for anyone who has ever battled red tape: NERSA processed the applications in an average of just 10 working days each, according to SAnews.
Faster Than Last Year, and Getting Better
“This is an improvement from the 2025/26 financial year’s first quarter, during which 111 applications for registration were processed within an average of 11 working days. This shows NERSA’s commitment to efficient evaluation and processing of generation facilities’ registration applications,” the regulator said in a statement.
The new quarter’s haul breaks down into 122 solar photovoltaic facilities with a combined 236 MW, and two wind facilities packing a hefty 568 MW between them. Encouragingly, the registered facilities are spread across all of South Africa’s provinces, meaning the green energy dividend is being shared countrywide.
Where the Power Plugs In
Of the 124 facilities, 63 connect to municipal distribution networks, adding 47 MW and roughly R639 million in investment at local level. The other 61 plug into the Eskom network, accounting for 757 MW and approximately R19.5 billion. The average investment cost worked out to about R25 099 per kilowatt.
Every megawatt matters: more generation capacity supports grid reliability, encourages private investment and strengthens the country’s energy security while the electricity sector transitions to a more competitive, renewables-rich future.
A R409 Billion Success Story
Zoom out, and the picture is even brighter. Since the registration regime began in 2018, NERSA has registered 2 619 generation facilities with a combined capacity of 20 131 MW, representing an estimated total investment of around R409 billion.
That is more than twenty gigawatts of new generation capacity signed into the system in under a decade, a quiet revolution built one solar panel and one wind turbine at a time.
“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 concluded.
For a country that has fought hard for a stable grid, every one of these 124 new plants is another brick in the wall of energy security, and another reason to feel optimistic about a sun-powered South African future.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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