Eskom Green, the renewables arm of South Africa’s electricity utility Eskom, is building a 75 MW solar project in the country’s Free State province.
According to pv-magazine, the Lethabo solar power station, valued at ZAR 1.2 billion ($73.9 million), is expected to generate approximately 147 GWh of electricity annually once completed, equivalent to the power required for an estimated 60,000 households.
Plans for the project were first announced in April 2024. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa granted Eskom a license for the project, which will be located near the 3.7 GW Lethabo Power Plant, in November 2024.
A statement from Eskom says the start of construction marks the first step in integrating utility-scale renewable generation within its existing coal-fired power station fleet infrastructure.
“Bringing this solar plant into the Lethabo Power Station site affirms our deliberate strategy to optimize existing assets while accelerating new lower-carbon generation capacity,” said Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo.
The Lethabo project is one of 17 given high-priority status by the utility that will be built out in the coming years. Construction of each of the projects is expected to begin between now and 2028, Eskom says.
The 17 projects have a collective capacity of approximately 6 GW, Eskom adds, including at least 2 GW of renewable energy and pumped storage projects that are construction ready.
Eskom’s latest update adds that Eskom Green is set to develop partnership, acquisitions and co-development opportunities beyond Eskom-owned sites as the utility works towards a wider goal of building more than 32 GW of renewable energy and storage projects by 2040.
In May, Eskom signed a strategic development agreement with Energy Vault to deploy a 25 MW/100 MWh grid‑scale gravity energy storage system at the Hendrina Power Station in Mpumalanga, eastern South Africa.
