South African regulatory authority National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has approved generation licences for four utility-scale solar PV projects under Bid Window 7.3 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), clearing more than 1GW of new capacity for development.
The licences cover three independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket SA projects — the 278MW Sculptor Energy facility in Mpumalanga and the 277MW Springhaas Solar Facility I and 206MW Springhaas Solar Facility VI projects in the Free State — alongside French utility Engie’s 288MW Corona Energy project, also located in the Free State.
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According to NERSA, the four projects represent more than 1GW of installed solar PV capacity and will deliver 890MW of contracted capacity to South Africa’s electricity system.
The regulator said it received licence applications for the projects in January before opening a public consultation process. A public hearing scheduled for May was cancelled after no objections or registrations were received, with NERSA concluding that all four projects met the required technical, financial, economic, legal and regulatory criteria.
The approvals add to the growing pipeline emerging from REIPPPP Bid Window 7, which has been expanded through several additional allocations since preferred bidders were first announced in late 2024. With the latest licences, the programme has now awarded close to 5GW of solar capacity across the seventh bidding round.
REIPPPP was launched in 2011 to attract private investment into South Africa’s renewable energy sector and support the expansion of new generation capacity. The programme aims to help address the country’s ongoing power supply challenges, including grid constraints and load shedding, due to insufficient electricity generation.
According to the Global Solar Council, South Africa’s solar PV capacity reached approximately 6.3GW after adding around 1.6GW in 2025. Distributed and commercial & industrial (C&I) solar accounts for more than 59% of installed capacity, while the country has set a target of 20GW of solar PV capacity by 2030.
