{"id":91168,"date":"2026-04-16T14:59:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/?p=91168"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:28:40","slug":"outlier-renew-15-on-stream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/outlier-renew-15-on-stream\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlier Renew #15:\u00a0On stream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Three private power projects that have purchase agreements with private companies started operating in the past few weeks (see our news wrap). To me they are indicators of how quickly things are changing in this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the projects were conceived during Covid and took a while to get going, according to the developer Sturdee Energy. Those two 10MW projects are behind the meter. Back in those days of loadshedding, companies had a reason to seek out a reliable source of power. But the third one is a big 148MW solar plant in Limpopo that will supply power to Richards Bay Minerals in KwaZulu-Natal through a wheeling agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wheeling and the proposed wholesale electricity market are changing the energy landscape. I was interested to see if the number of big energy projects \u2013 10MW or more \u2013 being registered with Nersa had increased over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have been. There were no 10MW+ projects registered between 2019 and 2021. But things started to take off in 2022 (see the chart below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nersa registers private power projects that will be connected to the national grid or a municipal distribution network when they\u2019re built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I thought it would be interesting to look at where the 10MW+ projects were \u2013 Nersa only gives the province. It was striking how many were registered in Gauteng in 2025 \u2013 12 projects, all solar PV, and nine of them 100MW or more. Limpopo had 10, of which eight were 100MW or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Only information for January and February 2026 has been made publicly available but the Northern Cape seems to be making a resurgence. Three 10MW projects have been registered in two months. That\u2019s more than 2024 and 2025. This year got off to a good start with an average of 3.5 \u2018big\u2019 projects a month. If the pace keeps up, this year could match 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A picture that tells it all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a data nerd who has spent most of my career in journalism wishing that people would get their point across in fewer words. I love it when somebody unpacks complicated information succinctly in a graphic. This week Alastair Otter found the one below made by\u00a0Dianne Davies<\/a>\u00a0on LinkedIn which I\u2019m sharing here (with her permission, thanks Dianne) because it\u2019s packed with interesting info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RENEWABLE PIN-UP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Drone footage of the Wolmaransstad electric vehicle charging stations (Photo:\u00a0<\/em>Charge<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charge will open its next two micro-grid charging stations along the N3 in May, but it has also been\u00a0over 14 months<\/a>\u00a0since it launched its pilot micro-grid charging station in\u00a0Wolmaransstad in the North West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vital statistics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Charge N12 Wolmaransstad<\/strong>
Time to build:\u00a06 months<\/strong>
Launched:\u00a028 November 2024<\/strong>
Number of solar panels:\u00a0480<\/strong>
Total power produced by the solar panels:\u00a0280 kWp<\/strong>
Battery storage:\u00a0550 kWh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charging stations:\u00a0Six ultra-fast (DC) chargers for passenger and commercial electric vehicles up to 8 tonnes and two AC charging points for plug-in hybrids<\/strong>
Time to charge:\u00a0+-20 mins, vehicle dependent<\/strong>
Benefit to landowners:\u00a0Earn 5% of the revenue from the charging vehicles<\/strong>
Benefit to community:\u00a01% of the annual sale of electricity will be given in the form of supporting education in local communities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charge co-founder and executive chairman Joubert Roux spoke to us during an\u00a0Out to Lunch webinar.<\/a>\u00a0Read more<\/a>\u00a0or watch the\u00a0webinar recording<\/a>\u00a0(members only).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEWS WRAP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\ufe0f\u26a1\ufe0f The Industrial Development Corporation\u00a0and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have agreed to collaborate to develop and finance\u00a0energy security projects within South African special economic zones<\/a>\u00a0(SEZs). Energy constraints have prevented SEZs from reaching their full potential, says Dr Phindile Masangane of the DBSA. The collaboration aims to scale and accelerate the development of energy projects to supply\u00a0reliable, affordable, low-carbon energy to the zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udd0b Mulilo<\/strong>\u00a0this month reached financial close on its 76MW\/304MWh\u00a0Mercury Battery Energy Storage System<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in the Free State. The project, which is near Viljoenskroon, is part of the government\u2019s Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESSIPPPP). Mulilo was awarded nine projects under the programme, three of which are already under construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Middlepunt solar PV project (Photo: Mulilo\/LinkedIn)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2600\ufe0f Mulilo<\/strong>\u00a0also reached financial close on the 337MW\u00a0Middlepunt Solar PV<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0project this month. This facility near Welkom in the Free State is one of the projects under Bid Window 7 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. Once operational, the project is expected to generate 770GWh of electricity into the national grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u26cf\ufe0f Eskom<\/strong>\u00a0has signed a\u00a0coal supply agreement<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0Exxaro\u00a0<\/strong>to supply its Matla Power Station until 2043. The power station is\u00a0scheduled to be decommissioned<\/a>\u00a0on 20 July 2034. Exxaro\u2019s Matla coal mine\u2019s output is exclusively tied to Matla Power Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Slurry Solar Park (Photo:\u00a0<\/em>Sturdee Energy<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2600\ufe0f Sturdee Energy<\/strong>\u00a0celebrated the\u00a0commercial operation of two solar projects<\/a>\u00a0it built with cement company\u00a0PPC<\/strong>, the Dwaalboom Solar Park and the Slurry Solar Park. Both facilities deliver behind-the-meter electricity to PPC Cement operations. The two plants have a combined capacity of 20MW, will generate 56-million kWh of clean energy and avoid 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bolobedu solar power (Photo:\u00a0<\/em>Bolobedu Solar<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2600\ufe0f<\/strong> Voltalia<\/strong>\u00a0has announced the full commissioning of the\u00a0148MW Bolobedu solar power plant in Limpopo<\/a>. The plant, which spans approximately 347 hectares, is expected to generate approximately 300GWh of clean electricity each year. All output will be supplied to Richards Bay Minerals, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, under a 20-year corporate power purchase agreement. Electricity will be transmitted to the mining operations in KwaZulu-Natal through a wheeling arrangement using the national grid operated by Eskom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EVENTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udda5\ufe0f Webinar.<\/strong>\u00a0How is transmission infrastructure financed? Who ultimately pays for it? What needs to change to accelerate delivery? These questions will be explored in a webinar in Energize Mzansi\u2019s\u00a0Global Grid Expansion Dialogue Series<\/strong>\u00a0in collaboration with the World Energy Council and the Africa Sustainable Energy Centre. The webinar is on\u00a021 April at 2pm<\/strong>.\u00a0You can register here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udda5\ufe0f Webinar.<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA)<\/strong>\u00a0is holding a webinar series on the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM). The first one is an introduction to SAWEM, unpacking what is changing in the electricity sector, how the market is structured, who\u2019s involved and an implementation progress update. It will be held on\u00a022 April 2026, from 10am to 11.30am<\/strong>. You can\u00a0find out more on NTCSA\u2019s LinkedIn page<\/a>. There isn\u2019t a link to register, but the\u00a0direct link to the Teams webinar is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udda5\ufe0f<\/strong> Webinar.<\/strong>\u00a0EE Business Intelligence is hosting a free webinar titled:\u00a0Building South Africa\u2019s Competitive Electricity Market: The Role of Trading, Transmission and Market Reform<\/strong>. It will examine the key findings and recommendations of a recent SAETA report,\u00a0Policy to Power: Ten Actions to Deliver Green, Accessible and Secure Electricity<\/a>, to explore what they mean for South Africa\u2019s electricity market reform process, the development of competitive electricity trading, and the practical steps required to unlock large-scale private investment while maintaining security of supply and affordability.\u00a0Date 12 May 2026. Time 2pm to 4.40pm.<\/strong>\u00a0Register to attend here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91170,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1388,1380],"tags":[1446],"newsletter-post":[],"site":[],"class_list":["post-91168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outlier-renew","category-this-week-in-charts","tag-south-africa-renewables-solar-charge"],"acf":{"big_number":"","big_number_caption":"","big_number_link":"","big_number_background":"","big_number_text_colour":"#000000","big_number_icon":false,"big_number_wide":"yes","featured_chart":false,"flourish_chart_id":"","flourish_sub_title":"","flourish_chart_width":"medium","is_newsletter_post":"No","post_style":"bc","show_on_front":"Yes","link_through":"Yes","chart_url":"","background_colour":"#0089AA","text_colour":"#FFFFFF"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91168"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91180,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91168\/revisions\/91180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91168"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter-post?post=91168"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outliereditor.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=91168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}