South Africa’s Department of Energy said on 7 October that the proposed first Section 34 determination under IRP 2025 would prioritise 4,600 MW of battery energy storage systems alongside 5,000 MW of gas-to-power. The first determination does not allocate new wind or solar capacity; a later determination is expected to address those technologies, including hybrids with storage.
The government linked the programme to curtailment reduction, dependable supply and transmission expansion. It also said procurement will include local manufacturing, engineering, construction, skills and ownership commitments. These are policy and procurement signals, not an awarded project or a confirmed delivery schedule.
For international suppliers, the relevant bid preparation is broader than cell supply. Market-entry teams should map local-content obligations, grid connection and ramping requirements, availability guarantees, augmentation, safety certification, financing milestones, ownership structure and how future solar capacity may be co-optimised with the storage fleet.
Source date: 2026-10-07. Read the source.