SASOL’S first large-scale renewable energy project, Msenge Emoyeni Wind Farm, has reached commercial operations. Located in Bedford, Eastern Cape, the 69 MW wind farm comprises 16 turbines and is already supplying electrons wheeled through the national grid to Sasolburg operations in the Free State.
The project consortium is led by African Clean Energy Developments (ACED) and consists of African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) and Reatile Renewables (Pty) Ltd (Reatile). ACED and AIIM are co-sponsors and the equity in Msenge is 62% owned by AIIM, through its flagship IDEAS Fund, and 38% by Reatile.
Completed within 18 months, Msenge is one of the fastest constructed renewable energy projects, leveraging the deep expertise of the consortium and broadening local experience in developing and executing large-scale renewable power generation.
Simon Baloyi, president and CEO of Sasol said, “I am very excited about this historic milestone in our energy transition journey, which demonstrates the success of partnerships and collaboration. It is a tangible step, as one of the largest private procurers of renewable energy in South Africa, in contributing to reducing Sasol’s greenhouse gas emissions, supporting the country’s transition to a lower-carbon future, while also enabling energy security and local employment.”
James Cumming, GM of ACED added, “We are very pleased and very proud to have brought this market leading project into operation for Sasol. We highly value their partnership, which demonstrates both organisations’ commitment to the sustainable development of South Africa and the benefits it brings to its people and environment. It’s taken a huge team to achieve this, and I want to thank all our project participants and stakeholders including our shareholders, lenders, contractors, advisors, and government.”
Simphiwe Mehlomakulu, executive chairman of Reatile Group said, “We are proud to have completed construction of Msenge to supply clean energy to Sasol. Reatile Group has a long-standing relationship with Sasol across its value chain and this is another milestone that solidifies our partnership.”
“This achievement highlights how quickly wind energy infrastructure can be constructed when supported by clear regulations, grid availability and private sector readiness,” said CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) Niveshen Govender.
Sawea said this achievement marks a historic moment for the role of wind energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. It demonstrates the critical impact of positive regulatory reform in advancing a low-carbon future.
Grid capacity
Sawea says that grid capacity remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges.
Speaking recently at Windaba Conference, the chairperson of the NTCSA, Priscillah Mabelane emphasised the need for an expanded transmission network to accommodate 53,000 MW of new power sources over the next decade. She highlighted the urgency of collaboration with the private sector to overcome infrastructure hurdles and accelerate grid connections. The role of grid infrastructure in enabling faster deployment of wind energy cannot be overstated.
Nersa’s role
This project highlights the potential for interprovincial wheeling in the country. Sawea anticipates that the proposed wheeling framework by Nersa will help to accelerate the deployment of wind energy projects across the country.
Renewable energy pipeline
Since 2021, Sasol committed to procuring up to 1200 MW of renewable energy by 2030 and has to date signed 757 MW of power purchase agreements (PPAs). With renewable energy being a cornerstone of Sasol’s strategy, its current pipeline comprises the Damlaagte 97,5 MW solar project (reached financial close in November 2023) and the Impofu cluster, consisting of three onshore wind projects totalling 330 MW of wind renewable energy (reached financial close in February 2024).