International leader in decarbonisation GreenYellow and steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa, the South African subsidiary of the world's leading steel and mining company and a major industrial player on the African continent, have signed an agreement to deploy a large-scale energy efficiency programme aimed at modernising the lighting systems across the group's industrial sites.

 Structured around the Energy-as-a-Service model, this multi-site project will sustainably reduce energy consumption, improve operational performance, and accelerate the company's decarbonisation journey, all without investment from the client, supporting the transformation of energy models across the heavy industry sector.

In a context of strong pressure on energy costs and accelerating decarbonisation requirements, ArcelorMittal South Africa has undertaken a programme to modernise its energy infrastructure as a strategic lever of industrial competitiveness.

 In its energy-intensive production environments, lighting represents a critical lever, both in terms of electricity consumption, maintenance and operational safety.

The group sought a solution capable of improving the quality and consistency of lighting, sustainably reducing energy and operating costs, enhancing safety and comfort for industrial teams, limiting capital expenditure and ensuring deployment without disruption to industrial operations.

An Integrated Solution

To address these challenges, GreenYellow South Africa has deployed a comprehensive solution based on the group’s Energy-as-a-Service model, combining technical engineering, financial structuring, construction, and long-term performance management.

This approach enables ArcelorMittal South Africa to benefit from a turnkey solution with no upfront investment or operational risk, while generating long-term energy cost savings as well as immediate and measurable operational gains.

GreenYellow’s expertise in managing multi-site projects and operating within complex industrial environments ensures a coordinated deployment across assets distributed over multiple locations, without any disruption to operations.

The programme covers the modernisation of more than 25 000 light fixtures across about 20 industrial sites, including production areas, offices and outdoor infrastructure. It is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2027.

At full commissioning across all sites, this ambitious programme will reduce electricity consumption related to lighting by 18 GWh to 19 GWh a year, equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of about 5 000 people in South Africa, and will avoid the emission of 17 800 tonnes to 18 800 tonnes of CO₂ a year.

 “Energy efficiency has become a key driver of industrial competitiveness. As businesses face rising energy costs and increasing pressure to reduce emissions, they need solutions that deliver measurable operational improvements without requiring significant upfront investment. This project demonstrates that industrial businesses can improve operational performance, optimise lighting and enhance workplace safety while strengthening energy resilience and advancing their decarbonisation journey. Beyond reducing energy consumption, modernising industrial lighting improves visibility, supports safer working environments and creates lasting operational value,” GreenYellow South Africa country director Michael Ilias states.

“Energy-as-a-Service fundamentally changes how organisations invest in and manage energy. Instead of committing capital upfront, businesses can focus on measurable performance and long-term value while GreenYellow finances, implements and manages the solution throughout its lifecycle, allowing customers to focus on their core operations."

“Energy is a key driver of our competitiveness and industrial performance. This programme, in partnership with GreenYellow, enables us to enhance our energy efficiency and the quality of our infrastructure, while ensuring the continuity of our operations,” adds ArcelorMittal South Africa COO Werner Venter.

This dynamic was recognised during an inauguration ceremony held on June 11, bringing together representatives of both companies to acknowledge the upcoming implementation of the programme and to highlight its contribution to the sustained improvement of energy performance across ArcelorMittal South Africa’s industrial sites.

It highlights the growing role of energy performance solutions, alongside renewable energy generation, as a strategic driver of decarbonisation, energy resilience and long-term industrial competitiveness.