The Energy One Stop Shop (EOSS), an initiative of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) through InvestSA, in collaboration with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), participated in African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 12 to 16 October 2026.

The event brought together government representatives, policymakers, industry leaders, investors and financial institutions to explore opportunities and solutions for advancing Africa's energy sector. The EOSS and BUSA used the platform to showcase South Africa's approach to addressing regulatory bottlenecks and accelerating strategic energy investments.

The EOSS exhibition stand attracted more than 200 visitors, including international delegates interested in replicating its investment facilitation model in their respective countries. South African energy developers also engaged the team on permitting, regulatory approvals and infrastructure challenges affecting their projects. These engagements provided opportunities to offer practical guidance, identify potential interventions and strengthen relationships with investors and industry stakeholders.

Unlocking Energy Investments Through Regulatory Coordination

Since its establishment in July 2023, the EOSS has become an important mechanism for improving regulatory coordination and facilitating renewable energy investments in South Africa. Over the past three years, the initiative has contributed to resolving more than 150 permitting and regulatory challenges through collaboration with government departments, regulatory authorities, municipalities, Eskom and industry stakeholders.

To assess the impact of these interventions and identify opportunities for improvement, the EOSS and BUSA have commissioned a study to evaluate the platform's effectiveness, persistent regulatory constraints and measures required to strengthen its long-term sustainability.

Strengthening the EOSS–BUSA Partnership

BUSA's continued support demonstrates the value of structured public-private partnerships in addressing barriers to energy investment.

Zethu Diko, Senior Specialist for Energy Policy at BUSA, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to the EOSS and highlighted its contribution to improving the regulatory environment for energy development. She also emphasised the potential to extend the EOSS facilitation model to Integrated Transmission Projects, where coordinated permitting, land access and environmental approvals are essential to accelerating electricity transmission infrastructure development.

Although African Energy is perceived to focus on  oil and gas[RD1] , the EOSS's participation highlighted the importance of renewable energy, electricity infrastructure and regulatory reform in supporting a diversified and sustainable energy mix. Interest from international delegates also demonstrated the potential for knowledge-sharing and replication of the EOSS model across Africa.

The Way Forward: From Engagement to Implementation

Building on the outcomes of AEW 2026, the EOSS will prioritise strengthening institutional coordination, expanding its facilitation role and accelerating digital transformation.

Central to this is the development of the Single Window Application Portal (SWAP), which aims to streamline regulatory applications, improve transparency, enable project tracking and strengthen accountability among participating authorities. Other priorities include deepening municipal and regulatory partnerships, exploring support for transmission infrastructure projects and implementing recommendations from the EOSS–BUSA impact assessment.

Call to Action: Turning Investment Opportunities into Results

The EOSS and BUSA call on energy developers, government departments, municipalities, regulatory authorities and industry partners to translate engagement into coordinated action and measurable investment outcomes.

Project developers are encouraged to engage the EOSS early, register unresolved regulatory challenges and identify priority projects requiring intervention. Government institutions are urged to strengthen their participation through designated focal points, improved responsiveness and agreed timelines for resolving bottlenecks.

Industry and development partners are invited to support SWAP implementation, the potential expansion into transmission infrastructure and the development of sustainable institutional arrangements for the EOSS.

The success of the EOSS will ultimately be measured not only by regulatory challenges resolved, but by investments reaching financial close, projects entering construction, additional electricity capacity being delivered and sustainable jobs being created.

Through continued collaboration between the dtic, InvestSA, BUSA and key stakeholders, the EOSS remains committed to accelerating energy investments, strengthening energy security and supporting South Africa's industrialisation and economic growth.

African Energy Week 2026 reinforced a clear message: unlocking energy investment requires more than identifying opportunities. It demands coordinated action, regulatory certainty and a collective commitment to turning investment plans into operational projects.

 [RD1]Can we draw this link better.  Would hate our funders to find this and then say why did you go.  Maybe speak to peaking power like the diesel ogct’s and potential gas opportunities for grid balancing for higher leves of RE.