DMRE
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, with Eskom
Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP)
Free connection Household eligibility Grid + off-grid Delivered by munis / Eskom
The programme in one paragraph
INEP is the state-funded pipeline that connects unelectrified stands to the national grid, or where grid is uneconomic, delivers an off-grid solar home system. It has two delivery streams — municipal and Eskom Distribution — funded through the Division of Revenue Act as annual conditional grants. As a household, you do not pay to be connected; you only pay for consumption once the meter is live.
Grid connection vs off-grid solar home system
Grid connection
- Standard 20A single-phase feed at a formal Ready Board
- Access to full appliance load: stove, fridge, geyser, TV
- Prepaid meter installed at connection
- Priority where a line is within 500 m of the stand
- Delivery lead time 3-18 months depending on backlog
Off-grid solar home system
- Solar panel plus battery and inverter kit
- Lights, cellphone charging, small radio or TV, single fan
- No fridge or geyser support
- Delivered where grid extension is 10 km+ from the stand
- System maintained by an accredited contractor
2026 delivery targets (national)
150,000
Grid connections
Household stands wired to the national grid this financial year.
45,000
Solar home systems
Off-grid kits installed where grid extension is not economic.
R7.2bn
Grant allocation
Total DoRA conditional grant to municipalities and Eskom for 2026/27.
EC + KZN + LP
Priority provinces
Backlog wards concentrated in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo.
Household eligibility (grid stream)
- Stand is currently unelectrified or has been permanently disconnected
- Household is on the municipal indigent register (means-tested) or earns under R7,500 a month
- Stand has a valid municipal number or GIS coordinates verified by ward councillor
- Nearest grid line is within an economic reach for extension (usually 500 m to 2 km)
Getting on the connection list
- Visit your ward councillor or municipal Housing / Electricity office. Report the stand number and household details.
- Municipal engineers assess whether the stand qualifies under the current INEP business plan. This is not a queue-jump call; wards are prioritised centrally.
- Once the ward is scheduled, the appointed contractor visits, installs the Ready Board, and issues the prepaid meter.
- For off-grid stands, Eskom or the contractor delivers and installs the solar home system on site.
- Register with the electricity retailer (Eskom or municipality) to buy prepaid credit thereafter.
Who to contact
DMRE call centre: 0800 006 235. Eskom customer care (for Eskom-connected areas): 0860 037 566. Municipal Electricity Department for municipal-connected areas. The DMRE INEP overview lives at dmre.gov.za.