President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is gathering momentum, with growing investment in renewable energy creating new opportunities while the country works to secure reliable and affordable electricity.
In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa highlighted the opening of the first phase of the Ummbila Emoyeni wind farm on the Mpumalanga Highveld as a significant symbol of South Africa’s changing energy landscape.
The wind farm, situated between Bethal, Davel and Morgenzon, has been developed by Seriti Green, a subsidiary of South African mining company Seriti Resources.
The first phase comprises 25 wind turbines with a combined generation capacity of 155MW. The electricity will be wheeled through Eskom’s transmission network to supply Seriti’s coal mining operations.
According to President Ramaphosa, the project is expected to form part of a much larger 900MW hybrid energy cluster incorporating wind, solar and battery storage.
Once completed, it is expected to be the largest hybrid energy facility in South Africa.
President Ramaphosa said the development was significant because it demonstrated that the country’s clean energy investment is not being driven solely by international investors, but also by South African companies investing in the country’s energy future.
The project is also symbolic of the transformation taking place in Mpumalanga, a province whose economy and communities have for generations been closely linked to coal.
“Since the late 1800s, the coalfields of Mpumalanga have helped industrialise our country,” President Ramaphosa said, pointing to the contribution of coal miners, artisans and power station workers who have helped produce the electricity that powers South Africa’s mines, factories, businesses, hospitals, schools and homes.
He said it was therefore significant that some of the energy systems of the future were now being developed on the Mpumalanga Highveld, drawing on existing strengths and resources while incorporating renewable technologies.
Renewable energy investment accelerates
Although coal continues to dominate South Africa’s energy mix, President Ramaphosa said renewable energy generation is growing rapidly.
Citing Statistics South Africa, he noted that renewable energy accounted for just 2% of locally generated electricity in 2016. That figure increased to 6% in 2021 and reached 9% in 2024.
South Africa now has close to 16GW of installed renewable energy capacity, while another 32GW of projects are in the grid connection process and are expected to connect by 2030.
The renewable energy expansion is also evident in households and businesses, particularly through rooftop solar.
According to Statistics South Africa figures, the number of households with solar panels increased by 86% over a three-year period, reaching 675,000 households in 2025.
The President said investment in clean energy technologies had accelerated during the years of load shedding and had been supported by significant legislative and regulatory reforms.
Among these was the removal of the licensing threshold for self-generation, together with the revival of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. These measures helped unlock greater private investment in electricity generation.
Investment and jobs at the centre of transition
The President said attracting investment in clean energy was important not only for South Africa’s climate commitments, but also for inclusive economic growth and job creation.
At this year’s South Africa Investment Conference, more than R50 billion in green energy investment commitments were announced.
Government has also released South Africa’s first Energy Infrastructure Investment Prospectus, which provides a coordinated pipeline of investment-ready projects across the electricity value chain.
But President Ramaphosa stressed that the Just Energy Transition cannot simply be about replacing coal with renewable energy.
It must also protect communities, workers and businesses that could be affected by the transition while creating new economic opportunities.
“Going green” must, he said, ultimately contribute to lower electricity costs for consumers.
The government is therefore working towards establishing a competitive electricity market in which different operators compete to provide electricity efficiently and at the lowest possible cost.
President Ramaphosa also pointed to recent policy developments, saying Cabinet had approved the publication for public comment of the Revised Electricity Pricing Policy and the draft Electricity Sector Market Transformation Position Paper.
He further said he had received a progress report from the task team working towards the establishment of a fully independent state-owned entity responsible for electricity transmission and the operation of the electricity market.
Ensuring communities benefit
For President Ramaphosa, the transformation taking place in Mpumalanga represents more than a change in the technology used to generate electricity.
The opening of Ummbila Emoyeni and the broader expansion of renewable energy demonstrate, he said, how South Africa has responded to its energy crisis by adapting, implementing reforms and laying the foundations for a different energy future.
The challenge now is to ensure that the benefits of this transition reach the communities and workers who have historically supported the country’s energy system.
President Ramaphosa said government would need to work with business, labour and civil society to ensure that the transition is inclusive and expands economic opportunity.
The ultimate goal, he said, should be a transition that leaves communities stronger than before while delivering secure, reliable and affordable electricity for South Africans both now and in the future. – SAnews.gov.za
