𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭. For the first time in history, the entire South Africa may be lit up. Eskom has never been able to provide power to 100% of the population. And while the state-owned enterprise battled to keep existing lights on, it has been unable to spend the time and energy needed to resurrect its dilapidated coal-fired power stations. That may all change now that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a change in legislation that the private sector has been begging for, for years. The amended regulation will mobilise independent energy companies to generate power and sell it privately without having to jump bureaucratic licensing hoops at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Until now, these companies were only allowed to generate one megawatt without a license, and those who wanted to build larger plants had to wait years for approval. NERSA’s licensing process blocked the renewable energy sector from developing and resulted in South Africa lagging behind the rest of the world. The new regulations will allow private companies to generate up to 100 megawatts each, enough to provide electricity to nearly a hundred thousand houses. Although these companies still have to undergo registration processes at NERSA and various other state entities, industry leaders believe it’s the first step in the right direction.