South Africa

South Africa continued to make meaningful progress in integrating clean energy into its power mix in 2025, with wind energy remaining a central pillar of the country's power-sector transition and energy-security strategy. Policy and market reforms introduced over the past two years began translating into tangible progress across procurement pipelines, grid planning and increased private-sector participation. For international investors, 2025 marked an important transition from policy design to implementation, with several structural reforms strengthening the regulatory and institutional environment for renewable energy deployment.

Policy and institutional reforms

Government reforms in the electricity sector continued to accelerate following the establishment of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy in 2024, led by Dr. Kgosientsho David Ramokgopa. Throughout 2025, the policy focus was on stabilising procurement pipelines, accelerating grid expansion and implementing transmission-sector reforms aimed at improving market efficiency and enabling greater private-sector participation. A key enabling instrument is the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which provides the legislative framework for restructuring the electricity market. The Act supports the gradual liberalisation of the power sector and establishes the foundation for an independent TSO. Progress was also made in the ongoing unbundling of the state-owned utility, Eskom. During 2025, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) assumed a more prominent role in grid planning, connection processes and transmission development, signalling a shift towards a more independent and transparent transmission system framework.