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Insights Centre
Sectors · Energy across SADC

Energy in South Africa

Power plants and lines being built, how far the grid reaches, how reliable supply is and what energy costs.

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Exports of the pillar's goods, 2024US$3.4bn+39% on five years earlier · 3rd in SADC
Deals in the last 12 months818 tracked in South Africa in all

Access to electricity: South Africa against SADC

Access to electricity, % of population, latest year for each country. Click a bar for that country's energy page.

0%20%40%60%80%100%Mauritius100.0%Seychelles100.0%Comoros91.7%South Africa90.2%Eswatini89.3%Botswana80.2%Zimbabwe62.0%Lesotho60.6%Namibia59.3%Angola55.5%Zambia53.6%Tanzania52.4%Madagascar42.5%Mozambique36.9%DRC22.5%Malawi15.6%median 60.0%

Source: World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

South Africa's trade in energy goods since 2012

Exports and imports of the products in this pillar's subsectors, each product counted once, US$

0$5bn$10bn$15bn$20bn$25bn2012201420162018202020222024ExportsUS$3.4bnImportsUS$19.7bn
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Subsectors

9 in this pillar

Utility-scale generation in South Africa

Tracks
Capacity by technology and status, owners, expected commissioning dates and how far projects slip, procurement rounds and licences.
Signals ahead
Licences issued, financial close, grid connection approvals.

Select a figure for its trend. Source: dotzedw deals tracker.

Open these deals in the deals tracker

More figures for this subsector are being added.

What South Africa sells abroad across energy

South Africa's exports by subsector, 2024, US$, with its share of SADC's exports. A product can count in two subsectors.

Fuel supplyUS$2.2bn51.8% of SADC · +16% on five years earlier
Power trading and private supplyUS$805m47% of SADC · +89% on five years earlier
Oil, gas and LNGUS$265m0.7% of SADC · +179% on five years earlier
Off-grid solar, mini-grids and storageUS$188m80.2% of SADC · +120% on five years earlier
Green hydrogen and new fuelsUS$5.0m98.8% of SADC · -26% on five years earlier
Source: CEPII BACI·dotzedw Insights Centre

Who is moving

Open in the deals tracker

8 deals in the last 12 months involving South Africa, placed in subsectors by what they say.

Tech market rankings for every country

Sources and method