Several major renewable energy projects currently under construction will go live this year, according to industry organisation Sapvia.
Once operational, these projects will collectively add hundreds of megawatts of new generation capacity to the national grid.
This additional capacity is expected to contribute to improved energy security, reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-based generation and support increased private-sector participation in electricity supply.
They projects are:
- Virginia Solar Park (275MWp/240MW contracted): Red Rocket’s flagship project is in the Free State. It is the largest solar farm procured under the renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme (REIPPPP) to date. Financial close was reached in early 2024 with construction commencing in May that year. Commercial operation is expected in May.
- Mulilo Total Hydra Storage Project (216MW solar/497-500MWh battery energy storage system): The risk mitigation independent power producer procurement programme (RMIPPP)-procured hybrid facility will provide 75MW of dispatchable power from 5am to 9.30pm daily – a 16.5-hour dispatch window targeting peak demand periods. Sapvia said the project, located near De Aar in the Northern Cape, demonstrates the shift towards firm, dispatchable renewable supply.
- Battery energy storage independent power producers’ procurement programme bid window 1 projects: The first standalone grid-scale battery storage facilities procured by government are expected to reach commercial operation in late 2026. They are the Oasis cluster (257MW/1 028MWh) – Oasis Mookodi, Oasis Aggeneis and Oasis Nieuwehoop – developed by EDF, Mulilo, Pele Green Energy and Gibb-Crede. Mogobe Bess (103MW/412MWh) – a Scatec project near Kathu in the Northern Cape –is expected to come online in September.
According to Sapvia, a number of renewable energy projects will also reach financial close and/or start construction this year.
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They include:
- Scatec’s Kroonstad PV cluster (846MW): Three co-located projects in the Free State (Oslaagte Solar 2 (293MW), Oslaagte Solar 3 (293MW) and Leeuwspruit Solar (260MW)).
- Red Rocket projects: Multiple facilities are expected to start construction include Dwaalboom 3 (180MW) in Limpopo, and Florida Solar (200MW) and Virginia 4 (210MW), both in the Free State, from the July 2025 awards, plus Rondebosch solar park (240MW), Springhaas 1 (240MW) and Springhaas 6 (170MW).
- Engie’s Corona Solar PV (240MW) in North West.
- Infinity Power projects (1.28GW with Pele Green Energy) from the initial December 2024 awards.
Sapvia spokesman Frank Spencer told TechCentral that beyond public procurement, a substantial pipeline of private projects is progressing towards financial close and construction.
Red Rocket’s Tournee Solar Park (300MW) on land owned by Eskom near the Tutuka power station reached financial close in late 2025, with commercial operation expected in the fourth quarter of 2027. It is the first and only project to reach this milestone under Eskom’s land lease initiative, with Discovery Green as the off-taker.
He said the private wheeling and corporate power purchase agreement market continues. However, specific project announcements are commercially sensitive.
Read: The Free State mielie fields now powering corporate South Africa
“The combination of sustained tariff pressure and corporate sustainability commitments is driving ongoing investment in behind-the-meter and wheeled renewable supply,” Spencer said. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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