Energy infrastructure firm Open Access Energy (OAE) and Mezzanine have entered into a reseller agreement aimed at accelerating the adoption of virtual wheeling in SA.
This, as demand grows for renewable energy procurement solutions across the country’s evolving electricity market.
According to a statement, under the agreement, OAE will market, sell and operate Mezzanine’s virtual wheeling platform as part of its Energypro platform offering.
The partnership will give corporate energy buyers, independent power producers and traders access to virtual wheeling infrastructure through a single integrated platform.
The deal comes at a time when SA’s energy transition is gathering pace, with businesses increasingly seeking access to cleaner and more predictable energy sources amid ongoing pressure on the national grid.
Wheeling enables a renewable energy generator to sell electricity to a buyer located elsewhere on the national grid by using existing transmission and distribution infrastructure. Instead of constructing direct infrastructure between the generator and the buyer, the electricity is transmitted through the grid, while the transaction is settled financially.
Gerjo Hoffman, CEO of OAE, says the country’s energy transition required supporting infrastructure capable of scaling alongside market demand.
“South Africa’s energy transition is accelerating, and the infrastructure to support it needs to match that pace. This partnership gives our customers access to proven wheeling technology, backed by the commercial and operational capabilities we have built at OAE.”
Jacques de Vos, CEO of Mezzanine, adds that virtual wheeling is an important step towards a more inclusive and competitive energy market.
“Our partnership with OAE is key in expanding market access to the Mezzanine Virtual Wheeling Platform.”
Mezzanine is a technology company that creates digital solutions for public and private enterprises in Africa.
There are currently two models for wheeling electricity in SA: traditional wheeling and virtual wheeling.
According to the companies, Eskom’s virtual wheeling mechanismis a newer product that fundamentally expands who can participate. Rather than requiring a direct bilateral arrangement between a single generator and a single off-taker, virtual wheeling allows entities to transact on behalf of multiple Eskom or municipally-connected customers simultaneously, claiming energy purchased from a generator across an entire portfolio of sites.
Critically, no amendment to an existing Eskom supply agreement is required, no new deposit obligations are triggered, and customers supplied through a municipality can participate on exactly the same basis as those connected directly to Eskom.
OAE’s Energypro platform supports independent power producers, energy traders and corporate off-takers with transaction management, billing, and reconciliation and portfolio optimisation services.
Mezzanine’s virtual wheeling platform facilitates Eskom virtual wheeling transactions at scale across the South African market.
Together, the companies say the integrated solution will provide end-to-end functionality, ranging from transaction origination and power purchase agreement structuring, to metering, settlement and ongoing portfolio management.
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