Catalysing Change: Private Sector Leadership in Electricity Wheeling for Ekurhuleni

City of Ekurhuleni discusses how the private sector drove the change for electricity wheeling in their municipality.

It started with inquiries from the private sector, such as requests to develop solar plants and sell electricity to the city. Initially, there was resistance from the city due to the potential threat to their revenue model.

However, as knowledge increased and the market continued to change, the city recognised the benefits of adapting and positioning themselves to accommodate the private sector's needs.

An example given was the presence of data centers with ambitious sustainability goals, which approached the city to create an enabling environment for low carbon operations.

The city recognised that while they might not sell as much electricity as before, the benefits of having these companies remain invested in the city outweighed the potential loss of revenue.