President Ramaphosa highlights progress in South Africa's energy transition
President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa's just energy transition is accelerating after the first phase of the Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm on the Mpumalanga Highveld.
The first phase of the project, developed by Seriti Green, a subsidiary of Seriti Resources, consists of 25 wind turbines capable of generating 155 MW of clean energy.
The electricity will be transmitted through Eskom's network to power Seriti's coal mining operations. Once completed, the 900 MW hybrid energy cluster will combine wind, solar and battery storage, making it the largest hybrid energy facility in South Africa.
Ramaphosa officially launched the commercial operations during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Mpumalanga site last Friday.
In his weekly newsletter, the President highlighted the first phase of the Wind Farm as the country's progress towards a cleaner energy future.
"The opening of the Ummbila Emoyeni facility in Mpumalanga and the clean energy revolution underway bear witness to a country that, even when confronted with an energy crisis, adapted, reformed and laid the groundwork for a new future.”
President Ramaphosa said the project demonstrates that South African companies are increasingly driving the investment in clean energy.
"This is a demonstration that South Africa's clean energy investments are not only being driven from abroad, but also by domestic firms with the foresight to invest in their country's future,” he added.
He noted that the development is taking place in Mpumalanga, a province historically associated with coal mining and electricity generation.
He reiterated that although coal continues to dominate South Africa's energy mix, renewable energy generation continues to expand.
According to Statistics South Africa, renewable energy contributed 2% of locally generated electricity in 2016, increasing to 6% in 2021 and reaching 9% by 2024.
The President also highlighted the growing adoption of rooftop solar systems by households and businesses.
According to Statistics South Africa, there has been an 86% increase in households with solar panels over three years, with approximately 675,000 households using rooftop solar by 2025.
"The investment in clean energy technologies, which was accelerated by load shedding in recent years, was enabled by far-reaching legislative and regulatory reforms,” said the President.
The President said attracting investment into clean energy supports the country’s climate commitments while promoting economic growth and employment.
At this year's South Africa Investment Conference, more than R50 billion in green energy investment commitments were announced.
The Government also released South Africa's first Energy Infrastructure Investment Prospectus, which provides a coordinated pipeline of investment-ready projects across the electricity value chain.
President Ramaphosa reiterated that the just energy transition extends beyond environmental objectives.
ALSO READ:
