Technology company Mezzanine and grid- and energy-optimisation software company Open Access Energy (OAE) have entered into a formal reseller agreement, bringing together two technology-driven businesses committed to advancing the liberalisation of South Africa’s electricity market.

Under the terms of 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 (IPPs) and traders to access virtual wheeling infrastructure through a single, integrated experience.

“South Africa’s energy transition is accelerating and the infrastructure to support it needs to match that pace.

“This partnership gives our customers access to proven wheeling technology, backed by the commercial and operational capabilities we have built at OAE,” says OAE CEO Gerjo Hoffman.

“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,” adds Mezzanine CEO Jacques de Vos.

In a joint media release, OAE and Mezzanine explain that there are two ways to wheel energy in South Africa, noting that the differences between them matter significantly for buyers.

The companies describe traditional wheeling as the established model, with a generator wheeling electricity directly to one or more offtakers. A supply agreement with State-owned Eskom 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.

OAE and Mezzanine explain that it is a well-understood and operationally stable process, but that 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.

On the other hand, they note that Eskom’s virtual wheeling mechanism is a newer product that fundamentally expands who can participate.

Rather than requiring a direct bilateral arrangement between a single generator and a single offtaker, virtual wheeling allows entities to transact on behalf of multiple Eskom or municipally connected customers simultaneously, claiming energy bought from a generator across an entire portfolio of sites.

Critically, no amendment to an existing Eskom supply agreement is required, no new deposit obligations are triggered and customers supplied through a municipality can participate on exactly the same basis as those connected directly to Eskom.

“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,” the companies say.

OAE and Mezzanine posit that virtual wheeling is ideal for buyers with multiple properties, especially if they are served by different power suppliers – Eskom or municipalities.

They add that it is also ideal for entities that are committed to reducing carbon emissions or seeking long-term, predictable energy prices as this method lets them buy renewable energy for all their locations at once.

“The more green energy they integrate across this portfolio, the better the financial benefits become over time.”

The companies highlight, however, that the complexity lies in the administration, noting that 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.”

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 companies say the timing reflects a market that is moving from pilot transactions to commercial scale.

OAE’s Energypro platform currently serves IPPs, 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 power purchase agreement structuring through to metering, settlement and ongoing portfolio management.

This is delivered through a single integrated experience for buyers and sellers alike.