South Africa’s Department of Electricity and Energy has prequalified seven international-led consortia to advance to the next stage of bidding under the country’s first-ever Independent Transmission Projects (ITP) Procurement Programme, a landmark initiative aimed at attracting large-scale private sector investment into the national power grid.
The ITP programme covers the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of approximately 1,164 kilometres of new high-voltage transmission lines, along with associated substation infrastructure, across seven strategically identified transmission corridors. The total investment value of the programme is estimated at around USD 1 billion.
A total of 17 consortia responded to the request for prequalification, from which seven were selected based on technical capability, financial strength and prior experience in delivering large-scale transmission infrastructure projects. The prequalified bidders will now be invited to participate in the forthcoming request for proposals (RFP) stage, expected to be launched in the second half of 2026.
The prequalified consortia include:
•Adani Power Middle East–Momentous Energy Consortium
•AREF Cobra Transmission Consortium
•Consortium Pulse Infrastructure
•EITP Consortium
•State Grid Consortium
•The Hyperion Consortium
•Transmission Africa Consortium
All shortlisted consortia are led by international developers with established transmission project experience, while also incorporating local participation and black economic empowerment requirements, in line with national policy objectives.
Prequalification does not guarantee project awards. Final selection will be based on detailed technical and commercial bids submitted during the RFP phase.
The Independent Transmission Projects programme is a key component of South Africa’s broader power sector reform agenda and is intended to accelerate grid expansion, ease transmission bottlenecks, and unlock additional capacity for renewable energy projects, supporting long-term energy security and economic growth.
