The past month has seen some notable developments in South Africa’s energy sector, signalling fresh momentum. The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced an ambitious Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 aimed at resolving the country’s longstanding electricity shortfall and jump-starting economic growth. The plan reflects government’s intention to invest R2.2 trillion in a comprehensive energy transformation strategy to ensure the country’s energy demand is met sustainably and cost-effectively. It marks a clear shift in the country’s energy mix, with cleaner energy sources like hydro, nuclear, wind, and solar set to surpass coal for the first time in the nation’s history. In presenting the latest IRP, Ramokgopa said energy and electricity can be a catalyst for growth, re-industrialisation, and building new skills.
Also in October, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), together with SAPVIA (the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association) and SAWEA (the South African Wind Energy Association), presented the findings of the 2025 South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey (SAREGS), which indicate a pipeline of some 220 GW of renewable power generation projects planned for development over the near- to longer-term.
Against this background, in this November 2025 issue of Electricity + Control we see how energy and information come together to serve industry.
In Control systems + automation Beckhoff reports why Switzerland-based Synhelion AG, a company that produces synthetic fuels using solar energy, selected PC-based process control technology from Beckhoff to trial in its first industrial demonstration plant. The application highlights the advantages the technology offers.
Looking at the manufacturing sector across Africa as it increasingly turns to digitalisation, automation and using data intelligence, Wojtek Piorko at Vertiv, Africa, points to the need for manufacturers to build future-ready data centre infrastructure to handle more data-intensive workloads.
Neels van der Walt from Iritron reminds us of the value of tailored service level agreements. He says SLAs are among the most important considerations for any business that relies on complex automation, control and electrical systems, and he makes the point that the difference between operational excellence and costly downtime is often determined by the quality of support a business receives from its technology partners.
We also bring you insights from WEG on EC&I construction, and news from ifm, Referro Systems and Sulzer South Africa, Siemens and TRUMPF, Datacentrix, and Malben Engineering looking to new ways of working in the automotive sector as world markets shift.
In Drives, motors + switchgear, SEW-EURODRIVE offers some guidance to those in industry wondering about what next steps to take regarding South Africa’s new Minimum Energy Performance Standards for electric motors. And we bring you news from BMG and Danfoss, Hamar Controls, and LHM – reporting the delivery of monumental ventilation fans for a mine in the Phalaborwa region.
In Plant maintenance, test + measurement, Doble Engineering highlights the essential role played by ‘behind the scenes’ laboratory services in maintaining stable energy supply and supporting grid reliability – especially now as utilities face unprecedented challenges in the changing energy environment.
And there’s news from Comtest, Omniflex, PPS, WearCheck and Dekra Industrial.
In our regular column Engineering the future, we share an article from MIT News, looking at the environmental impact of AI. In Reskilling, upskilling and training, we report on the award winners at this year’s Eskom Expo ISF, celebrating bright young scientists. And Write @ the back, Janice Foster, Energy Managing Director at Zutari, highlights the possibilities of regional electricity interconnections in Africa.