Enabling large-scale renewable energy development in Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga is positioned as a strategic hub for South Africa's renewable energy transition due to its significant grid capacity and proximity to industrial demand. However, developers face substantial hurdles, including a lack of a public mining cadastre and delays in Section 53 land-use applications under the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act. Environmental risks, specifically the lack of precise data on endangered bird flight paths, create uncertainty for wind projects. The document suggests short-term mitigations like the Energy One Stop Shop and Strategic Infrastructure Project registration, while advocating for long-term solutions such as a public mining rights database and comprehensive bird monitoring studies.

• Mpumalanga possesses significant grid capacity for renewable energy, with 3.3GW currently available and an additional 14GW expected by 2030 through the decommissioning of power stations.
• The absence of a public mining cadastre in Mpumalanga and South Africa prevents developers from identifying mining and prospecting rights on land parcels before engaging with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).
• The Section 53 application process for land use contrary to the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act is plagued by 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 is identified as having higher immediate potential than wind in the province because it is less impacted by the primary environmental concerns regarding bird species.
• Developers can utilize the InvestSA Energy One Stop Shop (EOSS) and register projects as Strategic Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) to expedite the approval process and resolve development blockages.

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} }