A project that will deliver 75 MW of dispatchable renewable energy to South Africa’s national grid is up and running.

Procured under the country’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement programme during the electricity crisis in 2020, the Hydra Project near De Aar in the Northern Cape comprises a 216 MW solar PV plant with a 500 MWh battery energy storage system.

The consortium has a  20-year contract to feed electricity to the grid for 20 years.

According to Engineering News, the project will be able to produce more than 400 GWh of electricity a year.

It was developed by a consortium of TotalEnergies and Hydra Storage Holding, each with a 35%, and Reatile Renewables with 30%.

Electricity generated by the project will be dispatched between 5am and 9.30pm daily.

Sunday World reports that the ZAR7.6-billion project will supply electricity to at least 200 000 households annually.

21 July 2026
Images: Unsplash