Eskom extends solar registration fee waiver indefinitely 

South African utility Eskom has extended its waiver of registration-related fees for small-scale solar systems until further notice.

Its grid connection fee waiver now applies to solar installations up to 50 kVA in size that are connected directly to its distribution network.

Eskom began campaigning for all South African customers with small-scale embedded generators up to 50 kW in size to register their solar installations in early 2025, initially offering an exemption on registration-related fees until March 2026.

The registration fee waiver was then extended until the end of last month, at which point Eskom announced its indefinite waiver.

The utility says the extension is made in the interest of safe grid integration and customer value while aligning with international best practice.

Its analysis of 20 international electricity markets across six continents found registration requirements are generally based on system capacity and become more rigorous as the size and complexity of installations increases.

Eskom’s latest update stresses that the waiver is designed to remove costs and provide additional time for customers to complete the registration process and does not change its underlying regulatory requirement for qualifying grid-connected generation facilities to be registered.

“Our focus is to make compliance clear, accessible and affordable,” commented Eskom Group Executive for Distribution Junaid Munshi.

“We want to assist customers with registering qualifying installations as simply as possible while supporting the safety of customers, contractors, employees and the broader electricity network,” Munshi added.

The utility’s statement also clarifies the waiver only applies to qualifying customers supplied directly by Eskom. Customers supplied by South African municipalities are advised to contact their licensed municipal redistributor regarding applicable registration requirements and charges.

In August, Eskom announced it would not go ahead with proposals to fine customers with unregistered solar systems.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity has surpassed 10 GW, after deploying 1.6 GW last year. The country is currently undergoing a liberalisation of its energy market with the phased introduction of its wholesale electricity market expected to begin early next year.