Enabling large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga

This industry brief by GreenCape outlines the opportunities and challenges for large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It highlights the province's significant grid capacity and strategic location while detailing the regulatory and environmental hurdles—specifically regarding mining rights and bird flight paths—that developers must navigate to facilitate a just energy transition.

• Mpumalanga possesses significant grid capacity for renewable energy, with 3.3GW currently available and an additional 14GW expected by 2030 following the scheduled decommissioning of power stations.
• The absence of a public mining cadastre in Mpumalanga and South Africa creates information asymmetry, making it difficult for developers to identify existing mining and prospecting rights on land parcels.
• The Section 53 application process under the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act, Act no. 28 of 2002, faces significant delays due to a high volume of applications and a lack of mandated turnaround times.
• Wind energy development is hindered by a lack of precise data on the flight paths of at least 12 endangered bird species, leading authorities to reject applications out of caution.
• Solar PV development is more viable in the region as it is less impacted by avian concerns, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment has reduced requirements by removing the need for Environmental Impact Assessments in previously modified areas.
• Short-term mechanisms to accelerate project approvals include registering with the InvestSA Energy One Stop Shop (EOSS) and designating projects as Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) through Infrastructure SA.

APA

Fordyce, N., Buckham, M., Rollinson, D., Engelbrecht, D., & Rijsdijk, I. (n.d.). Enabling large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Industry-Brief-–-Navigating-large-scale-renewable-energy-development-challenges-in-Mpumalanga.pdf

Chicago

Fordyce, Nicholas, Michael Buckham, Dominic Rollinson, Daniel Engelbrecht, and Ian Rijsdijk. Enabling large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga. GreenCape, n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Industry-Brief-–-Navigating-large-scale-renewable-energy-development-challenges-in-Mpumalanga.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{fordycendenabling, author = {Fordyce, Nicholas and Buckham, Michael and Rollinson, Dominic and Engelbrecht, Daniel and Rijsdijk, Ian}, title = {{Enabling large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Industry-Brief-–-Navigating-large-scale-renewable-energy-development-challenges-in-Mpumalanga.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }