Construction of 216 MW solar, 500 MWh battery plant starts

The construction of a major hybrid renewables project in South Africa, comprising a 216 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery storage system to manage the intermittency of solar production, has been launched by diversified energy company TotalEnergies and its partners.

The project, located in the Northern Cape, will supply dispatchable renewable electricity to the South African national grid for 20 years, equivalent to over 400 GWh a year.

Under the terms of a power purchase agreement signed in November, and with the incorporation of the storage system, the project will supply 75 MW of dispatchable power to national power utility Eskom on a continuous basis, from 5.00 to 21.30.

“Thanks to its innovative hybrid design, [the project] will enable us to supply continuous green electricity over a longer period and beyond the hours of sunshine,” says TotalEnergies renewables senior VP Vincent Stoquart.

The project achieved financial close on December 14 and is expected to be operational in 2025, as part of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme launched by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to develop electricity generation capacity and help towards alleviating the country’s electricity supply constraints.

“This project will not only contribute to the country’s energy transition, but also to strengthening the resilience of its power system,” he says.

The project is being developed by a consortium of TotalEnergies, which has a 35% stake; Hydra Storage Holding, with a 35% stake; and broad-based black economic empower partner – Reatile Renewables, with 30% stake.