Globeleq, a prominent independent power company in Africa, together with its project partner, African Rainbow Energy, have reached commercial close on the 153 MW/612 MWh Red Sands battery energy storage project in South Africa. Project agreements have been signed with the Department of Electricity and Energy and the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA).
The project is situated in the Northern Cape and is the largest standalone BESS plant in Africa to reach commercial close. The site will occupy five hectares and involve substantial upgrades to the grid infrastructure of Eskom and the NTCSA.
The Red Sands BESS is intended to ease transmission and distribution congestion in the Northern Cape, to strengthen South Africa’s energy infrastructure and supporting a more resilient and decarbonised power sector. The project was awarded preferred bidder in 2024 under the South African government’s battery energy storage independent power producer programme. Red Sands BESS will store off-peak energy for balancing purposes and provide ancillary services and grid management support to the NTCSA.
The BESS will be Globeleq’s second utility scale such facility in its renewable portfolio, adding to its 13 solar, wind and hybrid PV plus BESS plants in South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Egypt, as well as the Menengai Geothermal plant currently under construction in Kenya.
Globeleq is owned by British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, and Norfund, Norway’s development finance institution,
