New ministerial determination for 1164 KM of 400kv transmission powerlines
A proactive step towards addressing South Africa’s grid challenges
On 28 March 2025, the Minister of Electricity and Energy published a ministerial determination confirming the procurement of approximately 1164 km of 400 kV transmission powerlines with associated transmission infrastructure under one or more cost-effective tendering procedures across the Northern Cape, Northwest and Gauteng provinces.
The determination follows engagements with NERSA and the Minister of Finance.
Key stakeholders identified include:
- Bidders: Independent transmission providers (ITPs)
- Buyer of the transmission infrastructure: National Transmission Company of South Africa
- Procurer: Department of Electricity and Energy
The tender procedure will include one or more request for proposals, drafting the transmission services agreement and other project documents.
Once procured, constructed and commissioned, the new transmission lines will be used to alleviate the grid constraints, promote the integration of renewable energy sources, and improve grid reliability.
This will certainly bolster South Africa’s electricity transmission capacity and is a move towards proactively dealing with South Africa’s grid capacity constraints. These efforts tie in with the government’s efforts earlier this year to launch a request for information (RFI) to engage private sector interest in participating in independent transmission projects.
The RFI sought to gather insights on the market’s interest, capabilities, and potential solutions for accelerating transmission infrastructure development. It hopes to achieve the design of an effective procurement framework, inform the development of regulatory instruments, and guide the preparation of the tender documents to deal with South Africa’s transmission infrastructure and energy crisis.
For market insight on the ministerial determination and the RFI, contact Ricardo Pillay.