List of power stations in South Africa

South African Energy Grid Capacity
Type Capacity [MW]
Coal
45,618
OCGT
3,449
Wind
3,562
Hydro
2,290
Nuclear
1,860
Solar PV
1,717
Solar CSP
400
Biomass
71
Landfill gas
26.5
Total Capacity
58,753

South African power grid as of 2022

  Coal (78%)
  OCGT (5.9%)
  Wind (5.7%)
  Hydro (3.9%)
  Solar (3.6%)
  Nuclear (3.2%)
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Eskom Nation Grid Production By Source in April 2023

South Africa produced around 245,000 GWh of electricity in 2021.[1][2] Most of this electricity is produced using coal and is consumed domestically. In 2022, 12,300 GWh were exported to Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and other countries participating in the Southern African Power Pool.[3] In 2022, South Africa imported 10,800 GWh from the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Power Station in Mozambique via the 1,920 MW Cahora Bassa (HDVC) Power Transmission System.[4][5]

Most power stations in South Africa are owned and operated by the state owned enterprise, Eskom. These plants account for 80% of all the electricity produced in South Africa and 45% of all electricity produced on the African continent.[6][7] In terms of share of GDP in 2012, South Africa was the 4th largest investor in renewable power in the world after Uruguay, Mauritius and Costa Rica.[8]

The following is a list of electricity generating facilities within South Africa that are larger than 1 MW capacity. It only contains currently operational facilities and facilities under construction. The net power output in megawatts is listed, i.e. the maximum power the power station can deliver to the grid.

For notable facilities that are not operating or have been decommissioned see List of decommissioned power stations in South Africa.

  1. ^ "BP Statistical Review of World Energy July 2021".
  2. ^ "The World Fact Book". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Cape Argus".
  4. ^ "Energy Security Master Plan – Electricity 2007–2025" (PDF). dme.gov.za. p. 15. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Apollo substation at full capacity". www.eskom.co.za. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference wna-sa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Eskom uses tight power supply to defend tariff hike". Mail & Guardian. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  8. ^ "Renewables 2014 global status report" (PDF). REN21. Retrieved 30 March 2015.