From April 2025 through March 2026, fossil fuels supplied about 80% of South Africa’s electricity, with coal alone accounting for roughly 79%. Low-carbon sources provided the remaining fifth: solar contributed almost 9%, wind and nuclear each supplied about 5%, and hydropower added around 1%. Coal therefore still dominates electricity consumption, making faster growth in clean electricity essential to reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in South Africa?

South Africa’s electricity consumption per person remains well below its historical peak. The latest 2026 figure is about 3,500 kWh per person, compared with roughly 5,200 kWh in 2007—a decline of about 1,700 kWh, or one-third. This comparison does not establish whether consumption increased in the latest year, but it highlights a substantial gap from the record. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new high of about 700 kWh per person, up roughly 50 kWh, or 8%, from the previous record in 2025. Clean electricity is advancing, but substantially more growth is needed to support electrification and future demand.

Suggestions

South Africa should accelerate solar deployment, expand nuclear generation, and build on its wind resources, alongside stronger electricity networks and storage. Among relevant examples, sunny Australia and Chile generate about 21% and 24% of their electricity from solar, respectively; the US state of Nevada achieves about 35%. These regions illustrate the scope for solar to grow well beyond South Africa’s current share. Morocco, where wind provides 20% of electricity, offers a useful African reference for wind expansion. For nuclear, France’s roughly two-thirds share demonstrates its potential to anchor a clean electricity system, while the United Arab Emirates’ 20% share provides another example of a substantial nuclear contribution.

History

South Africa’s low-carbon electricity history includes several important waves of expansion. Nuclear generation increased by about 4 TWh in 1984, another 3.5 TWh in 1986, and almost 4 TWh in 1988, followed by a roughly 2.4 TWh gain in 1994. Further nuclear increases of about 2–3 TWh occurred in 2013 and 2016, with additional gains of roughly 2.4 TWh in both 2021 and 2025. More recently, growth has broadened: wind generation increased by about 2.2 TWh in 2021, while solar added roughly 2.8 TWh in 2022, 4.4 TWh in 2023, and 3.5 TWh in 2024. These successive solar additions, together with nuclear expansion and wind growth, provide a strong foundation for a larger clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Apr 2025 – Mar 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.