Eskom, South Africa's national utility, has wholly owned and operated the national transmission network for over a century. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) regulates this sector through the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) 2006.
Various government bodies, plans, authorities, policies, and regulations currently control the transmission network market. For instance, the South African Grid Code specifies that transmission systems should operate at nominal voltages of 132 kV, 275 kV, 400 kV, and 765 kV. It also outlines the minimum technical and design requirements for customer connection to the network.
However, major changes are imminent with the May 2024 passing of the 2023 Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill. Once signed into law by the president, this bill will break up Eskom's monopoly by unbundling it into three separate entities: generation, transmission, and distribution.
Although NERSA remains the regulator, Clause 4 of the ERA Bill 2023 clarifies its role. NERSA
