The Energy Council of South Africa, a public-private partnership at CEO level, has announced the opening of nominations for the country’s inaugural National Energy Awards, which are endorsed by the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE). The purpose of the awards is to highlight and celebrate beneficial impact and rapid progress across the national electricity sector.  

“The positive change and delivery happening across our energy sector is generally not visible to most South Africans and yet the energy transition is one of the most fundamental and rapidly evolving local and global themes,” explained Energy Council CEO James Mackay. “These awards not only celebrate our own Mzansi success but will also start to showcase our positive progress against international standards and peers.”

Corporate purchases of electricity from independent power producers have increased by more than 850% since 2024. It is expected that the power purchase agreements signed this year will total 1.7 GW. A new subsector of electricity traders is developing rapidly, with 16 such traders already licensed and more going through the application process. The South African Wholesale Electricity Market will become fully operational next year. And there are quite a few new policy and regulatory proposals now open for public consultation, in particular the Electricity Pricing Policy.

The Energy Council noted that the BloombergNEF South Africa Outlook 2026 forecast that South Africa’s electricity generating capacity must increase by two-and-a-half to three times its current level by 2046. This will result in a total generating capacity of more than 200 GW, from a wide range of technologies. South Africa already ranks in the top ten among developing economies for renewable-energy investments and is number one in Africa.

“South Africa’s energy future depends on the sustained collaboration between government, business and society that our Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2030 commits us to: building an integrated, well-regulated and investment-friendly energy system that secures supply, drives industrialisation and advances a Just Energy Transition,” highlighted DEE acting director-general Thabo Kekana. “The National Energy Awards recognise the partnerships and delivery already contributing to that vision, and they strengthen our collective confidence in positioning South Africa as a competitive regional and global leader in sustainable energy.”

The awards are divided into ten categories. These are – Project of the Year, Local Industry Development, Finance Deal of the Year, Technology and Innovation, Community Impact, Strategic Collaboration, Advancing Reform, Research Excellence, and Municipal Delivery. The closing date for nominations is October 23. The winners will be announced at a function which will be held on November 26 this year, in Johannesburg.