Enpower Trading secures landmark SAPP membership as World Bank backs expansion of regional power markets

• Enpower Trading has become the first privately owned South African-incorporated company to secure conditional market participant membership from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
• A milestone that positions the firm to trade electricity across borders and participate directly in the regional power market.

The approval allows Enpower to transact on SAPP’s regional platform, enabling both imports and exports of electricity. This development is expected to help shift South Africa’s traditionally localised electricity system toward a more dynamic, multi-nation marketplace where buyers can access more affordable, diverse, and competitive sources of power.

Enpower’s final step toward full SAPP participation is completing a systems operation agreement with the National Transmission Company South Africa. Once achieved, the company will be positioned to operate across both bilateral and day-ahead markets. It also aims to strengthen its role as a regional aggregator of renewable generation, storage, and cross-border trading capacity.

Enpower’s progress comes as the World Bank approved the Technical Assistance to the Southern African Power Pool (RETRADE SAPP) project, designed to expand and deepen the regional electricity market. The initiative aims to crowd in private investment for transmission infrastructure, increase market liquidity, and support greater uptake of renewable energy across the SAPP region.

The project—part of Phase 2 of the World Bank’s Regional Energy Transmission, Trade and Decarbonization Program (RETRADE-SA MPA)—will assist in preparing and implementing major interconnector projects. It aligns with continental initiatives such as the African Union’s Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa and supports broader goals including the Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and Mission 300, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

“The expansion and integration of regional transmission networks is critical to improving the reliability and affordability of electricity in Africa,” said Ndiamé Diop, World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa. “This project will help strengthen cross-border power trade and private investment in energy, contributing to the region’s economic growth, diversification, and job creation.”

The RETRADE SAPP project provides US$12 million in technical assistance, including US$10 million from the International Development Association (IDA) and US$2 million from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). Funding will benefit SAPP as well as regional institutions including SADC, the Regional Energy Regulators Association of Southern Africa (RERA), and the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE).

SAPP Executive Director Steve Dihwa welcomed the support, noting that while the region holds abundant energy resources, many countries still struggle with affordable, reliable power access. “This technical assistance will accelerate support to our members in delivering urgently needed, high-quality and resilient energy infrastructure, while fostering greater private-sector investment and cross-border electricity trading,” he said.

SAPP comprises 12 Southern African Development Community member states: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Author: Bryan Groenendaal