At 4:47 a.m., dairy farmer Pieter Loubser prepares for the first milking cycle. Across the town, conveyor belts hum to life, refrigeration systems activate, and food processing plants begin drawing electricity. The morning industrial surge alone accounts for nearly 16 megawatts of demand.
But here’s what’s different: This power isn’t coming from a fragile grid straining under pressure. It’s supported by one of Africa’s most important energy transition projects, the HEX Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
The HEX facility can dispatch electricity continuously for up to five hours, without interruption. No emergency diesel backup. No load shedding buffers. With a total storage capacity of 100 megawatt-hours (MWh) and a 20 megawatt discharge rating, the plant functions as a utility-scale energy buffer [grid-scale lithium-ion storage system].
In simple terms: It stores surplus renewable electricity when supply exceeds demand and releases it exactly when the grid needs it most.This is what energy experts call “time-shifting renewable generation” [energy arbitrage in wholesale markets].
According to Lwando Limba, Programme Manager at Eskom, the project represented uncharted territory: “The batteries themselves are the first of their kind in South Africa and on the continent.”
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The HEX BESS is widely regarded as Africa’s first operational utility-scale battery installation of this configuration. It was implemented by Eskom in partnership with Hyosung Heavy Industries, deploying advanced lithium-ion technology across more than 360 battery modules.
As Promise Ntuli, Senior Manager for Maintenance and Operations at Eskom Distribution Western Cape, explains: “The wind blows when demand is low, typically at night.” HEX solves this mismatch.
Instead of curtailing wind generation [renewable energy spillage], excess electricity is stored overnight and discharged precisely when factories, farms, and cold storage facilities switch on. This is known in power system planning as load balancing through distributed storage assets.
The project was supported by a $57.67 million concessional co-investment from the Clean Technology Fund, channelled via the African Development Bank. This type of blended finance [concessional capital combined with public utility investment] reduces early-stage project risk and accelerates deployment of emerging infrastructure technologies.
HEX reached mechanical completion in June 2023 following cold commissioning tests [system energization and performance validation], and entered commercial operation in October 2023.
By Thuita Gatero, Managing Editor, Africa Digest News. He specializes in conversations around data centers, AI, cloud infrastructure, and energy.
