Name of the Project
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) deployment project.

Location
Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa.

Project Owner/s
State-owned power utility Eskom will fully own the assets, but there will be a fixed operating and maintenance period of five years with the successful vendors after the start of commercial operation.

Project Description
The proposed project will be the first large-scale deployment of grid-tied batteries in South Africa.

The BESS project will be integrated into Eskom’s network to help strengthen the grid “particularly for renewable energy” and to help the utility manage its “peaks and troughs”.

The roll-out forms part of a larger 360 MW/1 440 MWh deployment, which will result in Eskom’s investing about R11-billion in BESS.

In Phase 1, the utility aims to introduce 199 MW/832 MWh of BESS capacity across eight sites, including:

• 80 MW at Skaapvlei, 20 MW at Hex, 9.5 MW at Paleisheuwel and 5 MW at Graafwater, in the Western Cape;
• 35 MW at Melkhout, in the Eastern Cape;
• 40 MW at Pongola and 8 MW at Elandskop, in KwaZulu-Natal; and
• 1.54 MW plus 2.04 MW of solar photovoltaic at Rietfontein, in the Northern Cape.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The first phase of the BESS deployment will involve investments of about R5-billion.

Phase 1 is being funded by the Clean Technology Fund, with the World Bank and the African Development Bank as implementing entities, as well as by the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, or Brics, bloc’s New Development Bank.

Planned Start/End Date
The project execution periods will vary from seven to 12 months.

Latest Developments
The deployment of the BESS will follow the award of the contracts and is also subject to the receipt of a licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Eskom media desk, email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.