South Africa electricity minister opens 540MW solar-plus-storage plant

By Andy Colthorpe
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Electricity minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa
Electricity minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (arms folded), visiting the Kenhardt project as part of an outreach trip to the Northern Cape. Image: Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa via X/Twitter

South Africa’s electricity minister has said the largest solar-plus-storage project, with a combined solar generation capacity of 540MW, and 225MW/1,140MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS) technology, in the Southern Hemisphere is evidence of efforts to mitigate the country’s difficult energy security situation.

Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa commented at the official inauguration of Norwegian developer Scatec’s large-scale co-located solar PV and battery storage project in Kenhardt, a town in the country’s Northern Cape.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“It’s significant that we’re hosting the largest project combination of renewable PV and also battery storage. [It] simply means South Africa is a trailblazer, and we want to retain that unassailable position, I think, as a country,” the minister told a reporter from state broadcaster SABC.

Asked what it meant for energy security, Ramokgopa said the project underlines the essential need to bring online more generation capacity to add to what is produced by state utility Eskom, to help South Africa come out of a “very difficult situation of load shedding.”

Ramokgopa was joined by Northern Cape provincial premier Zamani Saul and Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog on Thursday (18 April) at the site of the Kenhardt project, which features three separate solar-plus-storage systems. The project is providing electricity to state utility and grid operator Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

The plants began commercial operations in December before this week’s ceremonial unveiling. As part of ongoing efforts to mitigate energy supply and peak demand management issues, Scatec is contracted to supply 150MW of dispatchable electricity from the complex between the evening peak demand hours of 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm daily.

To read the full version of this story, visit Energy-Storage.news.

Read Next

September 9, 2025
The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a policy blueprint which it claims would “strengthen the reliability of America’s electric grid with solar and storage technologies.”
September 9, 2025
US solar tracker manufacturer Nextracker has acquired Origami Solar, a steel frame technology-focused company, for approximately US$53 million. 
September 9, 2025
Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) broke records yesterday when renewables supplied 76.4% of total electricity demand, with solar power contributing nearly 60% of the record-breaking clean energy mix.
September 8, 2025
German inverter manufacturer SMA Solar is to restart US manufacturing for the first time in ten years.
September 8, 2025
Euclid Power has raised US$20 million Series A round led by Venrock to develop AI-driven platform and services for renewables. 
September 8, 2025
Elmya Energy and Atlantica have formed a joint venture to develop 4GW of utility-scale renewable energy projects in the US. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines