The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) registered 124 generation facilities during the first quarter of the 2026/27 fiscal year – April 1 to June 30 – with a total capacity of 804 MW and an estimated investment value of R20.18-billion.

Nersa's approval of the 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, it says.

Specifically, 122 solar PV generation facilities, with a combined capacity of 236 MW, were registered in all nine provinces, while two new wind generation facilities, in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga, were registered during the quarter, with a combined capacity of 568 MW.

Solar PV technology was the most popular choice for new electricity generation in the first quarter of the fiscal year, largely owing to South Africa’s abundant sunlight, Nersa says.

The Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo recorded the highest numbers of new registered generation facilities. However, the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and Gauteng led in total installed capacity and investment cost.

The Northern Cape recorded the highest estimated investment figure, at R11.93-billion for projects with a combined installed capacity of 440 MW, the regulator says.

Further, of the 124 registered facilities, 63 are connected to municipal distribution networks, with a combined capacity of 47 MW and an estimated investment cost of R639-million.

The remaining 61 facilities are connected to State-owned utility Eskom’s national network, have a combined capacity of 757 MW and represent about R19.541-billion in investment.

During the first quarter of the 2026/27 fiscal year, the average investment cost was about R25 099/kW, it says.

REGISTRATIONS ON THE UP

Meanwhile, since the start of the registration regime in 2018, Nersa has registered 2 619 generation facilities, with a combined capacity of 20.13 GW and an estimated total investment cost of R409-billion.

While Nersa registered only 52 facilities with a combined capacity of 26 MW and an estimated investment value of R525-million in 2018, and 41 in 2019, the numbers rapidly climbed after this, with 124 facilities with a combined capacity of 53 MW and R681 million investment registered in 2020.

The figure more than doubled to 282 facilities registered in 2021, which had a combined capacity of 134 MW and an estimated investment value of R1.88-billion.

Similarly, in 2022, the number of facilities registered increased to 406, with a combined capacity of 1.65 GW and an estimated value of R25-billion.

In 2023, 405 new generation facilities were registered, but they had a combined capacity of 4.49 GW. Similarly, in 2024, 476 new facilities were registered with a combined capacity of 4.16 GW and an estimated value of R89.53-billion.

In 2025, Nersa registered 597 new generation facilities with a combined capacity of 7.46 GW, representing about R158-billion in investment.

During the first two quarters of the 2026 calendar year, Nersa registered 236 new facilities with a combined capacity of 2.13 GW and an estimated investment value of R48.4-billion, the regulator says.

REGISTRATION EFFICIENCY IMPROVING 

Meanwhile, Nersa processed the applications for the registration of the 124 generation facilities within an average of ten working days.

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 its commitment to efficient evaluation and processing of generation facilities’ registration applications, the regulator says.