Simply stated, wheeling is the transportation of energy from a generation site to an energy user via the existing Eskom or municipal grid.

In 2022, DMRE removed the need for independent power producers to require a license to produce electricity. This has opened the national grid and enabled the private sector to generate large-scale electricity. This energy can now be ‘wheeled’ to businesses across South Africa.

Onsite renewable energy supply, such as rooftop solar PV (‘behind the meter’), has been used extensively. Still, the amount of clean energy that can be supplied is often limited and capital-intensive. Wheeling eliminates these arduous requirements by facilitating energy transportation from one or multiple energy-generating sites located anywhere in South Africa to the end user through the national grid.

As more private sector generation is added to the national grid over time, the country’s energy shortfall is expected to decline.