Middle East / Africa
Country profile: South Africa
| Location: | Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa |
| Climate: | mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights |
| Terrain: | vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain |
| Size: | 1219912 sq. km total (Land area: 1219912 sq. km ) |
| Population: | 43,786,115 |
| Languages: | IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census) |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Pretoria (administrative capital) |
| Legal system: | based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | rand (ZAR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The South African government is seeking to increase jobs and promote business development throughout the country with the hope of reaching annual 6.0 percent GDP growth in the future. In 2006, South Africa’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate was 4.6 percent. The South African government has committed to ensuring that black-owned companies have access to the energy sector. Under its black economic empowerment (BEE) program, the South African government has set targets of 25 percent BEE ownership of energy companies by 2014.
Large, predominately white-owned corporations have sold assets to achieve this objective, with the first sale occurring in 2000. BEE firms are commonly referred to as “empowerment” firms. The bulk of South Africa’s energy consumption mix is comprised of coal, which the country primarily uses to produce synthetic fuels. South Africa also consumes a substantial amount of oil. Only a small percentage of the energy consumption mix is comprised of natural gas and nuclear.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 200,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 2 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 519,000 bbl/day (2006 est.) | 2 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 217,700 bbl/day (2004 est.) | |
| Imports: | 319,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) | |
| Reserves: | 15 million bbl (1 January 2007 est.) | 27 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
South Africa - recent news
| 19 Jun 26 |
Zululand Energy Terminal advances LNG Import Project with EXXONMOBIL The Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with ExxonMobil South Africa LNG Ltd, an affiliate of the global energy major ExxonMobil, marking another milestone in the development of South Africa’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the Port of Richards Bay. |
| 18 Jun 26 |
South Africa: A.P. Moller Capital agrees to acquire Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa A.P. Moller Capital – Emerging Markets Infrastructure Fund II ('EMIF II') has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa, a well-established renewable energy developer and independent power producer with 148 MW of operating and in-construction assets, 351 MW of construction-ready projects and an approximately 11.6 GW development pipeline. |
| 12 Jun 26 |
South Africa: TGS Prediktor delivers PowerView™ Plant SCADA solution for Scatec’s Grootfontein solar power project in South Africa TGS, through its Prediktor division, will deliver its PowerView™ Plant SCADA solution for Scatec’s Grootfontein solar power project in South Africa, supporting reliable operations and centralized monitoring across three large-scale photovoltaic plants. |
| 20 May 26 |
South Africa: Navitas Petroleum exercises option to farm into Block 1 CBK, offshore South Africa Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas has announced that, further to the Company's announcement on December 4, 2025, it has signed a definitive agreement to farm down a 37.5% working interest in Block 1 CBK offshore South Africa to Navitas Petroleum. |
| 30 Apr 26 |
South Africa: Africa Energy announces Block 11B/12B operations update Africa Energy Corp has announced that the Company, through its investment in Main Street 1549 Pty Ltd. ('Main Street'), which holds an interest in Block 11B/12B, offshore the Republic of South Africa, has obtained a further extension for the submission of a new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ('ESIA') to November 4, 2026. |
South Africa - more news
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Central Africa Republic,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Namibia,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
