South Africa to embrace off-grid generation
Africa’s richest nation will resort to allowing industry to generate its own power, to relieve pressure on beleaguered state utility Eskom amid load-shedding crisis
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly stated that his government will facilitate the generation of power by private firms, and even households, to relieve pressure on the national grid during ongoing periodic load-shedding and blackouts. Ramaphosa heard from business leaders at the Business Unity South Africa’s (BUSA) Economic Indaba on 14 January in Johannesburg that energy supply was the number one priority and urgent action is needed. Industry, particularly the mining sector, has been lobbying hard for regulatory approval to generate its own power. Amid a deteriorating economic and employment situation, and a falling sovereign credit rating, power has become a pre-eminent i
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
