Deputy minister launches P+ project to widen community voice in energy transition
The Department of Electricity and Energy and German development agency GIZ will fund a programme aimed at giving communities a stake in the renewable energy build-out.
Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy Samantha Graham-Maré will launch the Strengthening Participation in South Africa’s Energy Transition (P+) Project on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, according to the Department of Electricity and Energy.
The project is a partnership between the department and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Its stated aims are to strengthen community participation, transparency and mutual benefit in the country’s move towards a just, inclusive and sustainable energy future.
The launch runs from 14:00 to 18:00 at Irene Country Lodge in Pretoria, Gauteng.
Who is behind it
The P+ Project is implemented with the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO), and in strategic partnership with mandated institutions and experts including the Initiative for Social Performance in Renewable Energy (INSPIRE) and the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC).
According to the department, the project seeks to ensure that the benefits of the renewable energy transition reach local communities and that citizens have a meaningful voice in shaping the country’s energy future.
A panel discussion on inclusive participation in the energy transition will feature Thebe Mamakoko, senior energy negotiator at the department, Precious Edward, head of the Independent Power Producer Office, Yumnaa Firfirey, managing director of Towards Uhuru, Makoma Lekalakala, a commissioner at the Presidential Climate Commission, and Leoné Human, chair of the South African Independent Power Producer Association.
The event is described as a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue on strengthening socio-economic development and promoting inclusive participation in the renewable energy sector.
The plan it sits inside
The launch follows the department’s release of the Integrated Resource Plan 2025 (IRP2025), which seeks to ensure security of electricity supply while minimising environmental impact. According to the IRP 2025, most new generation capacity until 2039 will come from renewable energy resources through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
Since its inception, the REIPPPP has sought to link the energy transition with communities’ needs, with requirements for projects to offer mutual benefits so that the transition is just, inclusive, affordable and offers economic development opportunities.
The department says citizens and communities must participate constructively to become an integral part of the energy transition’s success.
Why it matters
South Africa’s electricity system is being rebuilt around private renewable generation procured through the REIPPPP, a programme that has already drawn billions of rand in investment and placed conditions on developers to spend a share of project revenue on local economic development.
How those community commitments are designed, monitored and enforced decides whether the transition produces jobs, local procurement and shared ownership in the towns and districts that host wind farms and solar plants, or whether it produces only distant dividends.
The P+ Project is the department’s attempt to formalise that side of the transition, with German development funding and the involvement of the Presidential Climate Commission, whose mandate includes advising on a just transition.
What happens next
The launch takes place on 4 November 2025. Media wishing to attend must confirm by 3 November. Media enquiries can be directed. The department has not yet published the project’s budget, its implementation timeline or how community participation will be measured. Those details are expected to be set out at the launch.
