The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has published a list of the most recent 35 renewables projects – including a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Northern Cape – to be registered following a recent market reform allowing for large-scale distributed generation projects to proceed without a licence.

The projects were officially registered during the August 22 meeting of the Nersa regulator executive committee, which also registered the first two 100 MW solar PV projects in May and subsequently registered 16 distributed-generation projects in June, with a combined capacity of 211 MW.

Nersa expects to consider the next batch of registrations during a meeting scheduled for September 5.

The August registrations increased to eight the number of projects that have now been registered with a capacity greater then 10 MW and Nersa says the total installed capacity of such projects currently stands at 599.6 MW.

As with previous registrations, most projects are small, but the list includes some notable large projects, including:

• the 100 MW Postmasburg Solar PV Energy Facility 2, in the Northern Cape;
• the 75 MW Buffels Solar project, in the North West; and
• the 19.9 MW Mzimkhulu Hydroelectric project, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The other registrations confirmed by Nersa on August 22, were:

• two 0.330 MW apiece Bamco Koelkamers solar PV projects, in the Western Cape;
• the 0.440 MW Capital Propfund 2 solar PV, in Gauteng;
• the 0.150 MW Capital Propfund 3 solar PV project, in Gauteng;
• the 0.150 MW EC Maskell Boerdery solar PV, in the Eastern Cape;
• the 0.150 MW Eversolar solar PV project, in Mpumalanga;
• the 0.315 MW Jowilita Farms solar PV project, in the Northern Cape;
• the 0.325 MW Just Refrigeration solar PV project, in Mpumalanga;
• the 0.550 MW Martin and Martin solar PV project, in the Western Cape;
• the 0.110 MW and 0.220 MW apiece solar PV projects registered by Number Two Piggeries, in the Eastern Cape;
• four solar PV projects in the Northern Cape of 0.331 MW, 0.662 MW, 0.822 MW and 0.910 MW apiece registered by Paul de Villiers;
• the 0.112 MW Pietlam solar PV project in the Eastern Cape;
• solar PV projects of 0.450 MW and a 0.220 MW apiece registered by Redefine Properties in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng respectively;
• a 0.200 MW solar PV project registered by RZT Zelpy 4600, in KwaZulu-Natal;
• the 0.496 MW SolarAfrica Energy sola PV project, in the North West;
• the 0.133 MW Suncrest Estate solar PV project, in the Western Cape;
• the 0.150 MW Swartrandsdam solar PV project, in the Free State;
• the 0.594 MW and 0.273 MW solar PV projects registered by Terradew Three, in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal respectively;
• the 0.300 MW Unlocked 18 solar PV project, in Gauteng;
• the 0.220 Widney Transport Components solar PV project, in Gauteng;
• the 0.233 MW Winterton Shopping Complex solar PV project, in KwaZulu-Natal;
• the 1.100 MW Zandspruit Value Centre Solar PV project, in Gauteng;
• the 2.600 MW hydro project registered by MBB Consulting Services, in Mpumalanga; and
• three 0.152 MW apiece solar PV projects, two in KwaZulu-Natal and one in Gauteng, registered by Thebe Solar Energy.

The number of project registrations is expected to continue to climb following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s July 25 announcement of the lifting of the licence-exemption cap on distributed generation projects as part of a series of interventions to tackle intensifying load-shedding.

Prior to the announcement a 100 MW cap had been in place, following a June 2021 reform that raised the threshold from 1 MW to 100 MW.