SIGNED: Cyril Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday signed the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act into law.
Ramaphosa proclaimed that the Act will come into operation on 1 January 2025.
The Act seeks to provide an open market platform that would enable competitive wholesale or retail buying and selling of electricity.
It also provides for market operation as a new activity that may be licensed by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).
In one of his recent statements, Ramaphosa stated that the regulator may consider factors such as security of supply, the diversity of supply and the promotion of renewable energy.
One notable change in South Africa’s energy sector is the electricity rules.
They are seen as an important step in assisting the country’s energy transition and establishing a more equitable competitive environment between Eskom and independent power producers.
Ramaphosa says: “In terms of Section 33 of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, 2024 [Act No 38 of 2024], I hereby fix 1 January 2025 as the date on which the said Act shall come into operation, save for amendments to the definitions of ‘reticulation’ and ‘distribution power systems’ in Section 1 of that Act, which definitions shall come into operation on a date to be determined by the President by Proclamation in the Government Gazette.”
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa extended the controversial Bela Act’s implementation of two crucial provisions regarding the function of school governing boards by three months in order to allow for more discussions, especially regarding Afrikaans language schools.
Related Topics: