Eskom Green, the renewable energy arm of South African electricity company Eskom, is building a 75 MW solar project in the country’s Free State province.
The Lethabo solar power plant, worth ZAR1.2 billion ($73.9 million), is expected to generate approximately 147 GWh of electricity annually upon completion, equivalent to the power required for an estimated 60,000 households.
Plans for the project were first announced in April 2024. South Africa’s National Energy Regulator granted Eskom a license for the project, which will be located near the 3.7 GW Lethabo power station, in November 2024.
A statement from Eskom said the start of construction marks the first step in the integration of utility-scale renewable generation within existing coal-fired power plant infrastructure.
“Locating this solar power plant at the Lethabo Power Station site confirms our deliberate strategy to optimize existing assets while accelerating new generation capacity with lower CO2 emissions,” said Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation, Bheki Nxumalo.
The Lethabo project is one of 17 high-priority projects by the utility that will be built in the coming years. Construction on each of the projects is expected to begin between now and 2028, Eskom says.
The 17 projects have a combined capacity of about 6 GW, Eskom added, including at least 2 GW of renewable energy and pumped storage projects that are ready for construction.
Eskom’s latest update adds that Eskom Green is poised to develop partnership, acquisition and co-development opportunities beyond Eskom-owned sites, as the utility works towards a broader 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 implement a 25 MW/100 MWh grid-scale gravity energy storage system at the Hendrina power station in Mpumalanga, eastern South Africa.
