Afripoli

South Africa’s Eskom seeks partner for 1.5 GW storage plant

15 October 2026

South Africa’s state utility Eskom launched a search on 14 October for a strategic partner to build the 1.5-gigawatt (GW) Tubatse pumped-storage scheme in Limpopo province. Its four reversible units would store about 21 gigawatt-hours and could run at full output for up to 14 hours, adding more than half to Eskom’s existing pumped-storage capacity of about 2.7 GW. Land, environmental approval and water from the De Hoop Dam are secured, and the government ranks the project among its 12 national infrastructure priorities. Large-scale storage would let the grid absorb more solar and wind power and offers private developers one of the country’s largest energy contracts. Firms that qualify will be invited to submit full proposals.

Energy & Industry · Tags: South Africa, Eskom

Related South Africa seeks 9.6 GW of batteries and gas power 8 October

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