President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised that South Africa’s shift to clean energy must be an inclusive process that strengthens local communities and lowers the cost of electricity for everyday citizens.

Writing in his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa stated that it is the collective responsibility of government, business, labour, and civil society to ensure the energy transition delivers equitable benefits.

“… most importantly, it must deliver affordable electricity for all, now and into the future.”

The President’s address follows significant policy developments aimed at restructuring the nation's energy landscape.

Last week, Cabinet approved for public comment the Revised Electricity Pricing Policy and the Draft Electricity Sector Market Transformation Position Paper.

Additionally, Ramaphosa received a vital progress update regarding the establishment of a fully independent, State-owned transmission and market operator entity. This independent body is expected to form the backbone of a modernised, competitive domestic power market.

The President pointed to the newly opened Ummbila Emoyeni facility in Mpumalanga as proof of the country’s resilience and adaptability amid its historic energy crisis.

The project's first phase officially entered commercial operation last week, featuring 25 wind turbines generating 155 MW of clean energy.

The facility was developed by Seriti Green, a subsidiary of the local mining house Seriti Resources.

The President highlighted that this project dispels the myth that green energy is solely funded by international players.

"This is a demonstration that South Africa’s clean energy investments are not only being driven from abroad, but also by domestic firms with the foresight to invest in their country’s future," he remarked.

The initial 155 MW of wind power will be wheeled directly through Eskom’s national grid to supply Seriti’s existing coal mining operations, effectively lowering the carbon footprint of the heavy industry sector.

Looking ahead, the site is slated for massive expansion. Once fully completed, Ummbila Emoyeni will scale into a 900 MW hybrid energy cluster combining, wind generation, solar arrays and advanced battery storage systems.

Once it reaches full operational capacity, it will officially become the largest hybrid renewable energy facility in South Africa. Ramaphosa said this project serves as an “invaluable contribution” to South Africa's sustainable economic future and long-term energy security.

The President noted that the 2025 Integrated Resource Plan aims to achieve a diversified portfolio of energy sources that relies more on wind and solar, and a reduced share of coal, supported by gas, battery storage and nuclear power.

He noted that while coal continues to dominate South Africa’s energy mix, the growth of renewable energy is accelerating.

Meanwhile, he said the installation of rooftop solar by households and businesses, has exceeded expectations.

According to Statistics South Africa, there has been an 86% increase in households with solar panels over just a three-year period, totalling 675 000 households in 2025.

The investment in clean energy technologies, which was accelerated by loadshedding in recent years, was enabled by far-reaching legislative and regulatory reforms.

Ramaphosa said the removal of the self-generation licensing threshold and the revival of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme unlocked large-scale private investment in electricity generation.

“Attracting clean energy investment supports our climate commitments while promoting inclusive growth and job creation,” he added.