‘Sell your solar power to EEC’

Households and businesses with solar power systems will soon be able to earn money by selling excess electricity to the national grid after the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) announced the nationwide rollout of the Embedded Generation Feed-in Tariffs.

The new tariffs, together with connection charges and a non-compliance penalty schedule, were approved by the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) and will come into effect on August 1. The approved rates will remain in place until March 31, 2027.

Speaking during a press briefing at the EEC headquarters yesterday, acting Managing Director Mphumuzi Maziya said the new system would allow approved customers to feed surplus electricity into the national grid while supporting the country’s transition to renewable energy.

The rollout follows the successful pilot phase under the Phehla Sikwati programme, which was introduced in 2024 to encourage owners of private electricity generation systems, such as solar panels, to register with the EEC at no charge.

Phehla Sikwati was launched to register embedded electricity generators and ensure the safe and sustainable integration of private generation systems into the EEC grid. It also paved the way for the approval of feed-in tariffs, allowing eligible customers with excess electricity, mainly from solar systems, to sell power back to the national grid.

To date, EEC has registered 24 Megawatts (MW) of embedded generation capacity, equivalent to about 10% of the country’s peak electricity demand, with registrations and grid feed-ins continuing to grow.

“Eswatini Electricity Company is pleased to announce the national rollout of embedded generation feed-in tariffs, connection charges and the non-compliance penalty schedule following approval by the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority,” said Maziya.

He said the initiative gives customers an opportunity to contribute to the country’s clean energy future while also encouraging investment in renewable energy technologies.

Under the approved tariff schedule, residential customers and small-scale commercial users with embedded solar systems will be paid 51.23c per unit of electricity supplied back to the EEC grid. Maziya said the tariffs would vary depending on the season and the applicable time of use.

He explained that before any customer can begin supplying electricity to the grid, the solar system must be inspected and approved to ensure it complies with the national embedded generation framework.

“The connection charges cover the costs of assessing and testing the power plant. We also carry out system studies and site inspections to ensure that every installation is safe and complies with the required standards,” he said.

Customers with systems ranging from one to 350 kVA will pay a connection fee of E8,979, while larger systems will be charged E19,640.

Maziya said safety remains the EEC’s top priority, especially as more private electricity generators connect to the national grid.

He urged all owners of solar systems to register their installations through the Phehla Sikwati programme, warning that failure to comply could attract a penalty of about E15,489.

“We have to know where your plant is for safety considerations. There are people who have installed power plants without registering them with the EEC. If your plant is unauthorised, if you modify it after approval without informing us, or if you feed electricity into the grid without approval, you will be liable for the non-compliance penalty,” he said.

He explained that unregistered or modified systems pose serious risks to EEC technicians working on power lines.

“In the past, electricity only came from our power stations or import points. Today, if we isolate a line for maintenance but a customer’s solar system continues feeding electricity into that line, it could create a dangerous situation for our teams working on the network,” Maziya said.

He encouraged all customers with approved embedded generation systems to take advantage of the new programme once it becomes operational.

“Customers can now register their plants with the EEC, and from August 1, approved embedded generators will be allowed to feed electricity back into the grid at the approved rates,” he added.

The feed-in tariff is not designed to replace one’s electricity bill. Its purpose is to reward customers for contributing surplus renewable energy to the national grid.

The strongest financial return comes from:

1. Generating your own solar electricity.

2. Using as much of that electricity as possible onsite.

3. Exporting only excess energy to the grid and earning the approved feed-in credit.

As more homes, farms, industries and commercial buildings install renewable energy systems, embedded generation is expected to:

• Improve national energy security;

• Increase locally generated electricity;

• Strengthen grid resilience;

• Reduce electricity imports;

• Support climate commitments;

• Stimulate investment in the renewable energy sector;

• Create employment opportunities for engineers, electricians and solar installers.