The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says it registered 144 new electricity generation facilities between July and September, with a combined capacity of 3,129 megawatts and a stated investment value of R78.16 billion.
The figures are in a Nersa media statement dated 5 November 2026 covering the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
What was registered
According to the statement, solar photovoltaic projects make up 139 of the 144 facilities, with 2,045MW of capacity. The balance is three wind facilities (1,063MW), one battery storage facility (3MW) and one co-generation facility (18MW).
Nersa says 76 of the facilities will connect to the Eskom network, accounting for 3,079MW and about R77.58 billion of the investment. The other 68 will connect to municipal distribution networks, with 50MW and R584 million between them.
Where the projects are
By province, the Western Cape leads on capacity and value, with 36 facilities, 1,189MW and R24.6 billion, according to Nersa. The Free State has 8 facilities (543MW, R15.0 billion) and Limpopo 13 (484MW, R16.3 billion).
Gauteng has the most facilities, at 47, but only 25MW of capacity and R343 million in investment, the statement shows. The Northern Cape registered a single facility of 240MW valued at R11 billion.
Faster approvals
Nersa says it processed the 144 applications in an average of nine working days. In the previous quarter it handled 181 applications in an average of 10 working days, the regulator says.
The regulator says registration “not only ensures legal and technical compliance but also bolsters grid reliability and safety”.
Nersa says 2,763 facilities have been registered since 2018, totalling 23,260MW and about R487 billion.
What we do not yet know
The statement records registrations and investment values. It does not say how much of the new capacity is already operating, when the remaining projects are expected to connect, or how the investment figures were calculated.
