At Windaba 2025, building on the momentum of Day 0, which saw industry and government pulling together around localisation and human-centred renewable energy development, Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa delivered the opening keynote on Day 1 of the conference. He raised a call to action – laying out South Africa’s blueprint for an inclusive, secure, and sustainable energy future, one driven by reform, industrialisation, and partnerships.
Minister Ramokgopa (front row, centre), CEO of SAWEA Niveshen Govender (2nd from left) and members of the SAWEA management team at Windaba 2025.
In his address, the minister focused on the recently released Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025. The plan, he said, will ensure the security of electricity supply by balancing demand with environmental responsibility and cost of supply, and provides a guiding framework to pursue the development of a diversified energy mix aligned with global decarbonisation trends.
“Our priorities are clear,” said Minister Ramokgopa. “We must achieve universal access to available, affordable, and quality energy; attain sovereign and regional energy security; drive industrialisation and lead innovation; qualitatively transform our energy demographics; and assert South Africa’s leadership across the continent and globally. These objectives underpin our ambition to move towards a high-growth trajectory powered by sustainable development.”
The minister acknowledged that the past 15 years of energy insecurity have constrained growth but noted the shift underway. “Coal still dominates, but renewables are growing fast,” he said. “Solar PV and wind additions now make up nearly 80% of new capacity across sub-Saharan Africa, and South Africa continues to lead the region.”
Reform will be key in producing South Africa’s electricity generation capacity. In this regard, the minister highlighted eight reforms currently in focus, including: the New Wheeling Framework (2024); Market Rules for Transmission Access; amendments to the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity (2020 - 2023); Draft Electricity Transmission Regulations; The Grid Capacity Allocation Framework (2024); Wholesale Trading Reforms; and the success of the IRP, JET Framework, SAREM, and Gas Master Plan.
“These reforms are the levers to unlock South Africa’s energy future - accelerating transformation, driving industrialisation, and ensuring that the benefits of our energy transition are led by South Africans, for South Africans,” Ramokgopa concluded.
Developing the infrastructure
In line with the tone set by the minister in his keynote address, the conference moved to the first plenary session, turning to the infrastructure and regulatory reform required to make this vision possible.
Central to this was how to ensure equitable grid access and manage curtailment as the energy mix grows more decentralised and dynamic.
Monde Bala, newly appointed Chief Executive of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), outlined the entity’s progress in setting up a dedicated Grid Access Unit to streamline and standardise access to the transmission network. He noted that the interim grid-access rules have already been publicised and are now with the regulator for consideration.
“We need to get to a point where grid access is codified, so it becomes a licence condition,” said Bala, acknowledging that clear, enforceable rules will provide certainty to investors and IPPs. He added that a practice note has been issued on the forthcoming curtailment framework, with the NTCSA planning a workshop early November to unpack its implementation.
From the generation side, Rivoningo Mnisi, Head of Renewables at Eskom, offered a candid view of the utility’s evolving role in the new energy landscape. Mnisi acknowledged the challenge of Eskom acting as the system operator responsible for maintaining grid stability while also participating in renewable energy generation.
He noted that while Eskom’s unbundling was designed to improve efficiency, the transmission operator would remain a monopoly. However, he emphasised that on the generation front, the utility must now operate under the same regulatory framework as IPPs, particularly when developing large-scale projects in partnership with them.
The discussion underscored the need for transparent governance, predictable regulation, and a coordinated approach to grid access – all key factors to ensuring South Africa’s renewable energy ambitions are matched by the infrastructure and oversight to maintain them.
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