Energy regulator Nersa has issued four licences to import and export electricity, but the rules for that trade are not written. TechCentral reported that the cross-border trading rules were due to go for approval in March 2026.
Nersa told TechCentral the import and export trading rules “have not yet been developed”. This means private traders hold licences while the rules they must trade under are unfinished.
“Cross-border electricity trading falls within the jurisdiction of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP),” Nersa told TechCentral.
The regulator said traders who use the SAPP must meet its registration requirements. They must also follow its market rules and procedures.
In July 2025, Nersa said it was “formulating electricity trading rules, including import and export trading rules”. Its timeline at the time had the cross-border rules going for approval in March 2026. The rules were then meant to be gazetted in June 2026.
The rules for trading inside South Africa are also late. The same timeline had them going for approval in November 2025, and they are still pending.
Eskom has asked a court to review five trading licences. TechCentral reported that the case is on hold until the regulatory framework is final.
Nersa said it has issued 25 electricity trading licences and four import-export licences. Two of the four holders are known. GreenCo Power Services received the first in October 2024, according to Polity. Enpower Trading received one in 2025, according to Green Building Africa.
Private companies that plan to build power lines face a similar gap. Nersa said it approved cost recovery rules for independent transmission providers on 2 December 2025. These are the private firms the government wants to build and own new transmission lines.
Nersa said those rules “will only be gazetted once this round of consultations has been concluded and the rules finalised”. The approved rules say they “are effective from the date of approval”. Nersa also approved sharing them with the department of energy for the bid package.
A consultation paper published on 30 October said stakeholders had raised concerns about the rules. They warned that some provisions “may adversely affect project bankability and funding”.
The paper proposes a new name, the cost recovery rules for transmission capacity purchases. It said the current title “may create the impression that the rules apply directly to ITPs”.
The draft changes replace “a reasonable margin or return” with “a risk-adjusted return”. They also loosen how termination costs are treated. Under the draft, loss of future profits “shall not automatically qualify” as recoverable, instead of being ruled out.
Nersa said its engagements had revealed “the potential unintended exclusion of certain legitimate costs from recovery”.
Nersa will hear an application for another import-export licence on 7 December. The applicant is Energy Exchange of Southern Africa, which is backed by Remgro.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TechCentral. Image: TechCentral. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.