The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa has received approval from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy to procure about 2,400 MW of new grid-connected generation capacity from independent power producers (IPPs) (South African government press release, 19/10/2026). The capacity breaks down as follows:
- 1,237 MW of solar PV, including 1,137 MW of embedded generation.
- 780 MW of natural gas, including 535 MW wheeled.
- 183 MW of waste-to-energy.
- 200 MW of innovative energy technologies.
The city estimates infrastructure investment of about ZAR6.2bn (USD378m). Sod-turning for some projects was planned for the week of the announcement, and no completion dates were given.
According to the Electricity and Energy Minister, Ekurhuleni is the first city to apply for a Ministerial Determination under Section 34 of South Africa’s Electricity Regulation Act. It also represents the first city to apply with a capacity of that magnitude (approved capacity for eThekwini and Cape Town was only of 400 MW and 220 MW, respectively), which could represent the future independence of the city from state-owned utility Eskom.
Do you want to become an expert on renewable energies auctions?
Discover our very detailed and regularly updated RES auctions database with worldwide coverage and a technical focus backed by academic research.
With our renewable energies auctions service you will be able to monitor auctions at a global level. Its (expanding) scope notably includes all major G20 countries and offers an especially fine tracking on Europe and South America.