The lights stayed on: South Africa's power reforms invite $3.9 billion of private sunshine

A few years ago, South Africans planned their days around power cuts. The World Bank Group's latest account of the country's energy reforms describes a different country: licensing requirements for private power producers removed, grid access opened, tax incentives for rooftop renewables, and a scheme that lowers lenders' risk on smaller projects. The result, by July 2026: private renewable investment up sixfold since 2023, reaching about $3.9 billion this year; Eskom's energy availability factor — how much of its fleet actually works — up to 66.16% from 55% in 2023, its best in six years; and load-shedding virtually eliminated for about 18 months. An initial $1 billion World Bank development loan in 2023 helped open the market. Reliable power is not an abstraction — it is clinics that keep vaccines cold, welders who can take orders, and homework done under a steady bulb.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: policy reform