Solar Industry news

All the latest Solar industry news. Find out wha’s been happening and what’s about to happen across the country as we shift to renewable energy.

Appeal Court lifts veil of secrecy on Eskom fuel supply contracts and beyond.

A landmark ruling by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has dealt a decisive blow to long-standing secrecy in public energy procurements, with far-reaching implications for Eskom and the broader energy sector. In a judgment delivered on 23 March 2026, the court dismissed Eskom’s appeal and upheld an earlier High Court order compelling disclosure of its coal, diesel and related transport contracts. The court found that access to such information is a constitutional right, and that claims of “commercial sensitivity” were unsupported and insufficient to justify secrecy. Critically, the court reaffirmed that disclosure is the default under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, and that public entities bear the burden of proving real and probable harm if they seek to withhold information. In this case, Eskom failed to do so, with the court emphasising that the public “has a right to access” contracts concluded in its interest. While the ruling relates directly to Eskom’s coal and diesel procurements, the implications extend far wider. The judgment sets a higher bar for secrecy across all state institutions, including the Department of Energy Electricity & Energy, the Department of Mineral & Petroleum Resources, and the IPP Office, where contractual opacity has long characterised coal, oil, gas, nuclear fuel and renewable energy supply agreements. The decision is expected to open scrutiny of pricing, contract terms and procurement practices across the energy value chain, potentially exposing inefficiencies, inflated costs and/or irregularities that have historically been shielded from public view. For policymakers and regulators, the ruling signals a clear judicial intolerance for opaque decision-making in sectors funded by consumers and taxpayers. For the energy market, it may mark the beginning of a more transparent and accountable procurement regime – one that could reshape investor confidence, regulatory oversight and public trust.

Fresh capital, funds and deals flow in South Africa’s energy transition.

A series of recent announcements point to growing momentum in energy-related investment across South Africa, spanning private capital mobilisation, municipal infrastructure reform and corporate transactions. Leading the developments is the first close of the Stanlib Asset Management Khanyisa Energy Transition Fund, which has secured R5-billion in committed capital. The fund targets long-term investment into renewable energy, decentralised power, green hydrogen and related infrastructure, with ambitions to scale to R18-billion over time. Capital has already been deployed into 14 operating renewable energy assets under the REIPPPP, signalling both investor appetite and project maturity. On the public sector side, National Treasury has launched a R54-billion performance-based grant aimed at strengthening infrastructure delivery across the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities. The initiative, part of broader metro trading services reform, is designed to unlock more than R100-billion in investment over six years in electricity, water and waste systems, with municipalities required to co-invest and improve operational performance. Meanwhile, in the private sector, rooftop solar developer, Solareff, has completed a management buyout of a majority stake previously held by Stanlib Infrastructure Fund II. The transaction reflects continued consolidation and maturation in South Africa’s commercial and industrial solar market. Together, these developments highlight a broadening investment landscape. Capital is increasingly flowing, not only into generation assets, but also into enabling infrastructure, municipal reform and distributed energy platforms. While structural challenges remain, the scale and diversity of recent investment signals growing confidence in South Africa’s evolving energy transition.

SAWEM delays and transmission asset ownership tensions cloud electricity reform.

South Africa’s planned wholesale electricity market reform is facing fresh delays and rising institutional tension, with new timelines for the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) and some pushback on transmission reform and asset ownership. Recent updates indicate that SAWEM’s full operationalisation will be slower and more phased than initially envisaged. A Department of Energy & Electricity (DEE) workshop presentation outlines a staggered rollout, beginning with a limited internal market in 2026, followed by gradual expansion and price formation phases extending into 2027 and beyond. This reflects the complex interdependencies between policy, regulation and system operations required to enable a functioning market. The roadmap highlights that key enablers – including market rules, pricing frameworks, vesting contracts and platform readiness – remain work in progress, with coordination required between energy regulator NERSA, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), and DEE. There remains some uncertainty over future transmission asset ownership and independence of the NTCSA, which still appears to be an open issue in some quarters. President Cyril Ramaphosa stated in SONA 2026 that transmission assets would be owned by the NTCSA, which would be independent of Eskom within five years. But this is reportedly still being met with some resistance within Eskom and labour unions. The Energy Council of South Africa has called for a phased transition, warning that abrupt structural changes could introduce operational and financial risks. Eskom, meanwhile, is reportedly still citing concerns over asset ownership, balance sheet impacts and system stability. These developments point to a growing disconnect between policy intent and implementation reality. While SAWEM remains central to unlocking investment, improving transparency and reallocating risk, delays and institutional contestation risk undermining investor confidence and slowing the pace of electricity market reform at a critical juncture.

reference: Chris Yelland

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