Country energy profile · Southern Africa · latest data 2025

South Africa energy mix & electricity

Electricity generation in South Africa reached 243 TWh in 2025. Coal provides 81.4% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.

Coal 81.4%Solar 8%Wind 4.7%Nuclear 4.2%Oil 0.8%Hydro 0.8%

Renewable electricity

13.6%

17.8% low-carbon incl. nuclear

#123 of 158

Carbon intensity

699g/kWh

World 458 g

#148 of 158 cleanest

Electricity per person

3,749kWh

World 3,860 kWh

#71 of 158

Generation

243TWh

−7.3 TWh vs 2015

#23 of 213

Net exports

5.92TWh

2% of demand

#14 of 45 exporters

Electricity generation by source in 2025

Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.

South Africa electricity mix 2025

Source	TWh	Share	10-yr Δ pp
Coal	198	81.4%	−9.6
Solar	19.48	8%	+7.1
Wind	11.32	4.7%	+3.4
Nuclear	10.21	4.2%	−0.7
Oil	1.95	0.8%	−0.8
Hydro	1.83	0.8%	+0.5
Bioenergy	0.47	0.2%	+0.1
Total	243	100%

South Africa: electricity in context

Electricity generation in South Africa reached 243 TWh in 2025. That is about 0.8% of the world total, in the same league as Egypt. Coal provides 81.4% of it. Few countries depend so heavily on a single source.

The renewable share stood at 13.6%, placing South Africa 123rd of 158 ranked countries (in the bottom quarter). That is 20 points below the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Africa (24.7%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 699 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. This is one of the more carbon-intensive grids in the world. In the cleanest-grid ranking, South Africa is 148th of 158.

The decade’s big winner is solar power, up 17.1 TWh between 2015 and 2025 (plus 7.1 percentage points of the mix). Coal moved the other way, falling by 29.8 TWh. The net effect: renewables gained 11 percentage points of share since 2015. Total generation shrank by 7.3 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 791 to 699 g/kWh, a 12% cut.

The coal phase-down is well under way: 90.9% of generation in 2015, 81.4% by 2025. In absolute terms, coal generation peaked in 2007 at 248 TWh and has since fallen 20%.

Solar (8%) and wind (4.7%) now add up to 12.7% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Per person, that is 301 kWh of solar electricity a year, versus a global average of 338 kWh. Wind adds 175 kWh per person. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2016.

Generation per person is 3,749 kWh a year, close to the world average of 3,860 kWh. More power leaves the country than arrives: a net 5.9 TWh of exports, equal to 2% of domestic demand.

How the power mix has changed

Electricity generation by source since 1985. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.

Electricity generation by source, 1985–2025

Renewables and carbon intensity

South Africa against the world and Africa averages.

Renewable share of electricity (%)

Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)

Solar and wind share of electricity since 2000 (%)

Total energy: beyond electricity

Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Renewables supply 3.6% of primary energy and fossil fuels 95% (2024). Per person, that is 21,287 kWh a year (world: 21,654).

Primary energy consumption by source (TWh)

Substitution method: non-fossil electricity is converted to the primary energy a fossil plant would have needed.

Fossil fuel production (TWh)

Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.

Power plants in South Africa

The 104 power plants recorded in South Africa add up to 50.4 GW of capacity, 79% of it Coal. The largest is Kendal power station at 4,116 MW. The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.

Listed capacity by fuel (MW)

Map of the largest plants loads when you scroll here…

Largest power plants

#	Plant	Fuel	Capacity MW	Commissioned	Owner
1	Kendal power station	Coal	4,116	1990	Eskom
2	Majuba power station	Coal	4,110	1999	Eskom
3	Matimba power station	Coal	3,990	1989	Eskom
4	Lethabo power station	Coal	3,708	1987	Eskom
5	Tutuka power station	Coal	3,654	1987	Eskom
6	Duvha power station	Coal	3,600	1982	Eskom
7	Matla power station	Coal	3,600	1981	Eskom
8	Kriel power station	Coal	3,000	1978	Eskom
9	Arnot power station	Coal	2,352	1973	Eskom
10	Hendrina power station	Coal	2,000	1973	Eskom
11	Koeberg	Nuclear	1,800	1984	Eskom
12	Camden power station	Coal	1,600	1968	Eskom
13	Ankerlig	Oil	1,327	2007	Eskom
14	Grootvlei power station	Coal	1,190	1972	Eskom
15	Drakensberg	Hydro	1,000	1981	Eskom

Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 104 plants on the interactive power plant map.

Solar & wind farms: South Africa

420 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 5.4 GW of solar and 4.3 GW of wind operating, plus 40.9 GW under construction or planned.

See them on the map Largest solar & wind farms: South Africa →

How does South Africa compare?

South Africa next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.

Country	Renewable %	Low-carbon %	Fossil %	gCO₂/kWh	kWh / person	Generation TWh
South Africa	13.6%	17.8%	82.2%	699	3,749	243	—
Mozambique	83.4%	83.4%	16.6%	129	571	19.8	Compare
Zimbabwe	57.1%	57.1%	42.9%	384	617	10.3	Compare
Botswana	0.3%	0.3%	99.7%	851	1,361	3.4	Compare
Namibia	97.6%	97.6%	2.4%	49	541	1.6	Compare
Eswatini	96.7%	96.7%	3.3%	131	491	0.6	Compare
Zambia	87.5%	87.5%	12.5%	120	925	19.7	Compare
Africa average	24.7%	25.5%	74.5%	544	635	962	Compare
World average	33.8%	42.6%	57.4%	458	3,860	31,772	Compare

Calculators for South Africa

Solar panel outputHow much a rooftop PV system would produce in Pretoria, using NASA weather data.Prefilled for Pretoria →Wind turbine energyAnnual energy and capacity factor of a turbine near Pretoria.Prefilled for Pretoria →Electricity CO₂Emissions of your electricity use. The grid here averages 699 g/kWh.Calculate emissions →Compare countriesPut South Africa side by side with Mozambique or up to three others.Open comparator →

South Africa energy: frequently asked questions

What percentage of electricity in South Africa is renewable?

In 2025, 13.6% of the electricity in South Africa came from renewable sources (solar 8%, wind 4.7%, and hydro 0.8%). The world average is 33.8%. South Africa ranks 123rd of 158 countries; see the full ranking.

What is the main source of electricity in South Africa?

Coal is the largest source of electricity in South Africa, providing 81.4% of generation in 2025, followed by solar power (8%) and wind power (4.7%).

How clean is the electricity in South Africa?

Electricity in South Africa has a carbon intensity of about 699 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh (2025), against a world average of 458 g/kWh. That is carbon-intensive. Charging an electric car that uses 15 kWh/100 km therefore emits around 105 g CO₂e per km from electricity.

Does South Africa use nuclear power?

Yes. Nuclear reactors generated 10.2 TWh in 2025, 4.2% of the electricity in South Africa. That is the 26th-highest nuclear share among the 32 countries that operate reactors.

How much electricity does South Africa use per person?

South Africa generates about 3,749 kWh of electricity per person per year (2025), compared with a world average of 3,860 kWh. Including all fuels for transport, heating and industry, primary energy use is about 21,287 kWh per person.

How much solar power does South Africa produce?

Solar panels produced 19.5 TWh in 2025, 8% of the electricity in South Africa. The solar share is up 7.1 percentage points in ten years. You can estimate what a rooftop system would produce at your address with our solar panel calculator.

Does South Africa import electricity?

On balance, no: South Africa was a net exporter in 2025, selling 5.9 TWh more electricity abroad than it bought.

Sources & references

Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity

Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2025. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.