Mezzanine and Open Access Energy (OAE) have entered into a formal reseller agreement, bringing together two technology-driven businesses committed to advancing South Africa’s liberalising electricity market. Under the agreement, OAE will market, sell, and operate Mezzanine’s Virtual Wheeling Platform as part of its Energypro platform offering. The partnership enables corporate energy buyers, independent power producers, and traders to access virtual wheeling infrastructure through a single, integrated experience.
Understanding wheeling — and why virtual wheeling matters
Wheeling is the mechanism that allows a renewable energy generator to sell electricity to a buyer located elsewhere on the national grid, using the existing transmission and distribution network as the conduit. Rather than building direct physical infrastructure between generator and buyer, the grid carries the power and the transaction is settled financially.
Gerjo Hoffman, CEO of Open Access Energy notes that “South Africa’s energy transition is accelerating, and the infrastructure to support it needs to match that pace.” He further highlights that “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.”
There are two ways to wheel energy in South Africa, and the differences between them matter significantly for buyers. Traditional wheeling is the established model. A generator wheels electricity directly to one or more off-takers, the off-taker’s Eskom supply agreement is formally amended to accommodate the arrangement, and all contracts are concluded within an Eskom provincial network boundary. This model is available to high and medium voltage Eskom-connected end-users. It is a well-understood and operationally stable process, but it requires supply agreement amendments before procurement can begin, which can trigger additional deposit requirements and introduces contractual complexity. It also excludes low voltage customers and those supplied through municipalities entirely.
Eskom’s Virtual wheeling mechanism (https://www.eskom.co.za/
This is a meaningful shift. For the first time, low- and medium voltage customers, whether Eskom or municipally connected, can access renewable energy procurement at scale, without changing their relationship with their network provider or disrupting their existing supply arrangements in any way.
Virtual wheeling is ideal for buyers with multiple properties, especially if they’re served by different power suppliers (Eskom or municipalities). It’s also great for people who are committed to reducing carbon emissions or seeking long-term, predictable energy prices. This method lets them buy renewable energy for all their locations at once (a ‘portfolio’ approach), and the more green energy they integrate across this portfolio, the better the financial benefits become over time.
The complexity lies in the administration. Wheeling transactions require metering data reconciliation, tariff calculations, network charge management, monthly settlement processing, and regulatory compliance across multiple parties simultaneously. That is precisely the problem that technology platforms like Mezzanine’s Virtual Wheeling Platform and OAE’s Energypro are built to solve.
A partnership built for market scale
The agreement positions both companies to serve the growing demand for renewable energy procurement solutions as more corporations seek direct access to clean power. With South Africa’s regulatory environment increasingly supportive of third-party wheeling, the timing reflects a market that is moving from pilot transactions to commercial scale.
OAE’s Energypro platform currently serves independent power producers, energy traders, and corporate off-takers across South Africa, providing infrastructure for transaction management, billing, reconciliation, and portfolio optimisation.
Mezzanine’s Virtual Wheeling Platform Solution is an established technology used to facilitate and manage Eskom virtual wheeling transactions at scale across the South African market.
Together, the two platforms create an end-to-end capability, from transaction origination and PPA structuring through to metering, settlement, and ongoing portfolio management. This is delivered through a single integrated experience for buyers and sellers alike.
Photo credit: Open Access Energy.
Source: Open Access Energy.