South Africa moves to decentralise transmission sector unlocking 3222MW new capacity by August 2029

Watch the video: Minister Ramokgopa briefs media on the procurement of Electricity Transmission Infrastructure

• South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has launched the Independent Transmission Programme (ITP) paving the way for a partially decentralised transmission sector that has been traditionally owned and run by the state.
• The government will now accommodate investment by private sector players in the country’s transmission infrastructure.
• The programme aims to have 3222MW new transmission capacity in place by August 2029.

To kick start the programme, Ramokgopa issued a Ministerial Determination under Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act on 28^th March 2025 to procure a total of 1164km of 400kV transmission infrastructure covering three provinces. Read more

“Our renewable energy assets are not fully exploited as a result of the constraints on the transmission side. The Eskom balance sheet and the sovereign balance sheet is not sufficient to carry the kind of investments that are required in this space. In terms of the transmission development plan…we will need modernise and expand transmission by about 14 000km and for us to be able to do this, we need about R440 billion. The State is not in a position to provide that kind of support. So, today we are introducing the independent transmission programme,” Ramokgopa said.

He said a ministerial determination has been issued to create a “dispensation that allows for private sector participation”.

“Our view is that there’s a need for us to be able to ensure that we are able to accelerate and support transmission infrastructure development. The transmission development plan does say that we need this 14 000km of new lines to be able to unlock the capacity, especially in the cape provinces. That is where we have the most efficient and reliable energy assets in the form of solar and wind, but we have exhausted all of the transmission that allows us to evacuate the electrons so that the economy can benefit from those assets,” the Minister said,” said Ramokgopa

A Request for Qualification will be issued in July while a Request for Proposals will be issued in November.

Managing director of Eskoms’ new Transmission Company, Mr Segomoco Scheppers, has previously stated that the country needed to add more than 1500 km of new transmission lines annually over the next ten years. This is to ensure transmission capacity to accommodate more than 50 GW of new generation power which will mainly come from intermittent renewable energy (wind and solar projects).

Currently, Eskom’s transmission division is adding 300 km of new power lines annually. Scheppers confirmed that in the last ten years, only 4 347 km of new powerlines were added.

Another challenge is transformer capacity. Scheppers confirmed that more than 122 600 MVA transformation capacity would have to be added, representing 77% of Eskom’s current installed base of just over 160 000 MVA. In the last ten years, only 19 060 MVA has been added to the grid infrastructure.

Link to South Africa’s national transmission plan HERE

Author: Bryan Groenendaal