Backed by R9 billion in funding, the project will supply clean power to businesses, strengthen grid infrastructure, and complete construction by 2028.
Anthem, an independent power producer (IPP) in South Africa, has started constructing a 475 MW solar PV project, which is the country's "largest" single-phase solar site. Construction on the Notsi project, which is situated in the middle of the Free State province of South Africa, began this week. It has long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with NOA and Discovery Green, two energy trading firms.
The company declared on Tuesday that the Notsi project had attained financial close. Standard Bank supplied the funding and according to Anthem, the site is worth R9 billion (US$530,000). It is anticipated that construction will be completed in early summer 2028, taking about 26 months. The Northwest Electric Power Design Institute and China Energy Engineering Corporation will construct the project.
According to Mike Wickins, CCO of Anthem, the Notsi initiative helps the expanding aggregator market, facilitates corporate decarbonization and aids South Africa's shift to lower-carbon, more sustainable energy consumption by providing renewable energy to corporate and commercial off-takers. Anthem CEO James Cumming stated that although it is presently a stand-alone PV project, there is a strong chance that battery storage will be added as expenses continue to decline and the need for grid flexibility increases.
The company stated that it has already obtained environmental approval to install an energy storage system on the property. The project, according to the company, will solve South Africa's weak grid infrastructure by constructing a transmission substation in addition to storage. At a later time, the substation will be turned over to Eskom, the national grid operator. Also, the company intends to efficiently control costs while guaranteeing dependable power delivery by investing in its own grid connection and using a high capacity transformer.
South Africa pledged in November to upgrade its infrastructure with more than 28 GW of new solar PV capacity by 2039. The South African minister of energy and electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, unveiled the country's most recent integrated resource plan (IRP), stating that it proves the security of electricity supply necessary by balancing supply with demand while optimizing the environmental effect and overall cost of supply.
Thus, Business Fortune is of the view that the Notsi project strengthens South Africa’s transition toward reliable, sustainable energy.
