KEY POINTS
- South Africa’s National Electricity Regulator (Nersa) has completed approval of 176 electricity tariff applications for municipal and private distributors.
- The tariffs will take effect from 1 July 2026 following court-directed deadlines and regulatory review processes.
- Public input was considered, with about 2,000 comments reviewed before final approvals were made.
The National Electricity Regulator of South Africa, Nersa, has confirmed that it has completed the approval process for all 176 electricity tariff applications submitted by licensed municipal and private electricity distributors for the 2026/27 financial year.
The new tariffs are scheduled to come into effect on 1 July 2026.The regulator said the process was carried out in line with the Electricity Regulation Act and in compliance with multiple High Court directives issued earlier in the year.
Nersa explained that the tariff approvals were guided by court orders issued on 20 February and 26 May 2026, which set strict deadlines for finalising municipal and private distributor tariffs.
By 11 May, 159 applications had already been approved. However, 17 applications remained outstanding, with some requiring additional court permission for late consideration.
Ultimately, the High Court granted an extension allowing Nersa to finalise the remaining applications by 30 May, which enabled full completion of the process.
Legal Constraints Limited Outstanding Applications
According to the regulator, 14 applications could not initially be processed within the original timeline without risking a breach of the court order.
Nersa stated that proceeding outside the deadline would have undermined the legality of the tariff approvals and could have led to contempt of court proceedings.
The extension ensured that all applications were reviewed within a legally compliant framework.
As part of the regulatory process, all tariff applications and cost-of-supply studies were published for public review on Nersa’s website.
The regulator confirmed that approximately 2,000 public submissions were received and considered before final decisions were made.
Nersa also stated that the detailed decisions and reasons for approvals would be published on its website in due course.
The regulator emphasised that its approach remains focused on transparency, accountability, and adherence to legal procedures.
It said the structured approval process ensures that electricity pricing decisions remain fair, regulated, and consistent with national policy and judicial requirements.
