11 October 2026 · Reporting checked against the primary and independent sources below.
The first procurement priority
South Africa’s next major electricity procurement step is being directed at 4,600 megawatts of battery energy storage and 5,000 megawatts of gas-fired generation. Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa outlined the proposed first section 34 determination under the Integrated Resource Plan 2025 on Wednesday, 7 October 2026.
The combined 9,600MW is a planning and procurement allocation. It does not mean that this capacity has already been financed, built or connected to the grid. The government says a subsequent determination will address new wind and solar projects, hybrid renewable systems and longer-term pumped storage.
Why batteries come before new wind and solar
The department says the immediate problem is not only how much electricity South Africa can generate, but when that electricity is available. During some periods, the system has more output than it can use. Curtailment can force generators to reduce production even when equipment is available.
Large batteries can absorb electricity when supply is abundant and discharge it when demand is higher. Their usefulness will depend on where they are built, how they are dispatched and the reliability services they deliver. The minister framed the allocation as a way to reduce avoidable curtailment and improve flexibility, not as an abandonment of renewable energy.
The role — and the controversy — of gas
Gas-to-power plants are intended to provide dispatchable generation when variable renewable output falls or electricity demand rises. Unlike batteries, they generate additional power rather than shifting existing supply from one period to another. That distinction matters for the cost, fuel supply and emissions profile of the future system.
The first allocation contains no new wind or solar megawatts. The department says those technologies will be covered later; critics and investors will be watching whether that second step follows quickly enough. The practical test is whether procurement creates a credible pipeline rather than another announcement without operating projects.
From announcement to delivery
The government says all five projects in the first battery-storage bid window, totalling 513MW, had reached commercial close and entered construction by June 2025, representing R15.4 billion in investment. That experience provides a base for the much larger proposed storage allocation, but scaling up will require financing, procurement decisions, grid access and execution.
For households and businesses, the stakes are tangible: reliable supply and the cost of electricity. The 7 October statement sets a direction. The milestones to watch next are formal procurement documentation, awarded projects, financial close, construction and eventual delivery to the network.
