Solar power in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga's municipalities are at very different stages with rooftop solar: some have export tariffs and years of registrations, others had no process at all in 2023.
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Without a metro, each Mpumalanga municipality that sells electricity sets its own embedded generation rules, and homes on Eskom supply register with Eskom. The gap between the most and least prepared is wide. In SALGA's 2023 survey, the City of Mbombela had registered 35 MWp of small-scale embedded generation, more than doubling from 15 MWp in 2020, while several other municipalities couldn't supply any information.
Before you compare quotes, find out which of these situations you're in. It decides whether exports can earn you anything, and how long approval might take.
Where your municipality stood in 2023
SALGA surveyed municipalities in September 2023 on whether they allowed SSEG onto their network, had an official application process and had an approved SSEG tariff. For Mpumalanga's main towns:
| Municipality (main town) | SALGA 2023 status |
|---|---|
| Mbombela (Mbombela, White River, Hazyview) | Allowed, process in place, approved SSEG tariff; 35 MWp registered |
| Emalahleni (eMalahleni) | Allowed, process in place, approved SSEG tariff; 2 MWp registered |
| Govan Mbeki (Secunda) | Allowed, process in place, approved SSEG tariff; 1 MWp registered |
| Msukaligwa (Ermelo) | Allowed, process in place; no approved tariff in 2020, no tariff data in 2023 |
| Steve Tshwete (Middelburg) | Recorded as not allowing SSEG and with no process |
What this means for you
Where an approved SSEG tariff exists, you can design a system that exports and be credited for it, once the municipality has fitted its meter. Where it doesn't, export credits may not be available, so a system sized for your own daytime use, with reverse flow blocked, is the safer starting point. Ask the municipality what's changed since 2023.
Middelburg: Steve Tshwete's application form
Steve Tshwete has published an SSEG application form. By signing it, you agree not to connect or run the system without the municipality's written approval, and to pay any review costs, which the form says are unlikely unless grid studies are needed; if they are, you get a quote first and can cancel or change the application. Systems within the NRS 097-2-3 simplified criteria are likely to be approved, and every inverter needs an NRS 097-2-1 type test certificate from an accredited test house.
The Highveld is hail country
A study of SAWS hail records from 1962 to 1986 for the former Transvaal found the highest point hail-day frequency on the Mpumalanga Highveld, the plateau around eMalahleni, Middelburg, Secunda and Ermelo. The season runs mainly from October to March, peaks in November, and storms usually hit in the late afternoon. For a roof full of glass panels, that's a design and insurance question:
- Ask for the panels' hail impact test rating and how the warranty treats hail damage.
- Make sure the array is listed on your building insurance, with its value.
- Keep the installer's layout drawing, serial numbers and photos of the finished array for any claim.
Solar Power prices in Mpumalanga
Published 2026 price guides don't show solar costing reliably more or less in Mpumalanga than elsewhere, so the national ranges in the solar cost guide apply.
Connection costs are where Mpumalanga differs. Eskom customers currently pay no registration-related fees: Eskom waived them, roughly R9,000 including the smart meter, for grid-tied systems up to 50 kVA until further notice from 1 October 2026. Municipal customers should ask about meter and connection charges, which each municipality sets itself.
Where in Mpumalanga
You can request quotes from anywhere in the province, including Mbombela, White River, eMalahleni, Middelburg, Secunda, Ermelo, Hazyview, Sabie. Choose your region and suburb in the form, and providers who cover your area will quote.
Solar Power in Mpumalanga: questions
Can I sell solar power back to the City of Mbombela?
Mbombela had an approved SSEG tariff when SALGA surveyed it in 2023, and the most registered embedded generation of any Mpumalanga municipality in that survey. Ask the City for the current tariff and metering requirements, and have your installer apply before any equipment goes up.
I live in Middelburg. Can I connect solar to the grid?
Steve Tshwete Local Municipality has an SSEG application form, and you need its written approval before connecting. SALGA's 2023 survey recorded the municipality as not yet allowing SSEG, so check with its electricity department how applications are being handled now.
Is hail damage to solar panels a real risk on the Highveld?
Yes. Long-term SAWS records put the highest hail-day frequency in north-eastern South Africa on the Mpumalanga Highveld, mostly between October and March. Choose panels with a published hail impact rating and make sure your insurer knows about the system.
Sources
- Status of Embedded Generation in South African Municipalities, SALGA, 2023
- Small-Scale Embedded Generation Application Form, Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
- An ERA-Interim HAILCAST hail climatology for southern Africa, Dyson, Pienaar, Smit and Kijko, University of Pretoria, 2021 (citing Olivier, 1990)
- Good news for solar users: Eskom drops registration fees until further notice, News24, 1 October 2026
Last updated 28 October 2026.
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