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South Africa has a pressing need to increase energy capacity. However, some of the country’s best solar and wind resource areas – the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape – have run out of grid capacity.
To address this, Eskom must expand capacity and build more transmission lines, which transport electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed.
In its 2024 annual report, the power utility stated that it wants to accelerate its transmission line construction rate to 1,400km a year. However, reaching this target will require a significant increase in efforts. In 2024, for instance, only 74km of lines were built.
Eskom’s Transmission Development Plan aims to install more than 14,000km of transmission lines over the next decade. However, the utility acknowledges that this will have to be done at an ‘unprecedented pace.’
The highest installation since 2008 was in 2014, when 811km of lines were added.