South Africa switches on 500 MWh BESS project, 216 MW of solar

Three partners – French energy company TotalEnergies, South African renewables developer Hydra Storage Holding, and local investment firm Reatile Renewables – have jointly inaugurated a 216 MW solar and 500 MWh battery storage plant in South Africa’s Northern Cape province.

The project, combining 216 MW of solar with a 500 MWh battery energy storage system, is billed as Africa’s largest hybrid renewable energy project to commence operations.

According to details published by TotalEnergies, the project will supply 75 MW of dispatchable renewable electricity to the national grid continuously between 5:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. under a 20-year power purchase agreement with South Africa’s national utility Eskom.

The agreement represents more than 400 GWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of approximately 200,000 South African households.

Magali Pailhé, managing director of TotalEnergies Southern Africa, said the supply of dispatchable renewable power to the South African grid will help to strengthen the country’s energy security while decarbonizing its electricity generation.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity now stands in excess of 10 GW, after deploying 1.6 GW in 2025.

The country’s largest solar project under development, totaling 620 MW, reached financial close in March.