During the first half of 2026, 17 independent power producer (IPP) projects with combined installed capacity of 1 920 MW reached commercial operation in South Africa. This exceeds the previous record of 1 472 MW set over a full year in 2016.
The projects comprise solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and battery storage facilities developed through private procurement and government programmes, according to the Power Futures Lab’s Financial Close & Commercial Operations Monitor.
“The main headline from this period is the large number of IPPs entering the commercial operations phase,” the report says.
Privately procured projects accounted for 1 046 MW across 10 facilities. All have mining or industrial offtakers with 958 MW delivered through wheeling arrangements and 88 MW comprising captive behind-the-meter generation including:
The remaining privately procured capacity comprises:
Seven publicly procured projects contributed 874 MW of installed capacity. These were developed under Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme Bid Windows 5 and 6 and the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme including the
Other publicly procured projects reaching operation included the
Wind accounted for 815 MW of the new operational capacity across seven projects.
The report says wind has historically lagged solar PV in South African commissioning but the first half of 2026 represented a step change with new wind capacity delivered through private and public procurement.
Further 2.2 GW expected
Another 28 projects totalling 2 202 MW are expected to reach commercial operation during the second half of this year, the report says. If they are completed as scheduled, 45 projects, representing approximately 4 123 MW, will have entered operation during 2026 – more than double the previous annual record.
The pipeline in the second half of 2026 includes 21 privately procured projects, including the
Financial close slows
Operational capacity increased but the rate at which new projects reached financial close slowed between May and June, according to the report.
The report states nine projects, representing 1 713 MW, reached financial close during the first half of this year. Mulilo’s 77 MW/308 MWh Hartebeesfontein standalone battery energy storage system was the only additional project recorded after the previous April 30 reporting cut-off.
“Some projects may be taking longer to clear the final commercial and grid connection steps,” the report says.
Developers reported processing delays and coordination difficulties between Eskom’s Grid Access Unit and NTCSA, the report says. However, according to the report, it was not yet possible to establish how much of the delay in financial closure was attributable to these issues.
The Power Futures Lab cautions that continued growth increasingly depends on transmission expansion, grid access reform, greater flexibility in Eskom’s coal fleet and the establishment of an independent transmission system and market operator.
“Whether the record of 2026 becomes a plateau or a peak will be decided less by developer appetite than by transmission build-out,” it says.

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