The HEX Battery Energy Storage System, Africa’s first utility-scale facility of its kind, discharges 360 lithium-ion units to power milking motors and cold storage without interruption. This $57.67 million project, implemented by Eskom with Hyosung Heavy Industries and concessional support from the African Development Bank’s Clean Technology Fund, represents more than a technological installation.
To fully appreciate the significance of the HEX Battery Energy Storage System, it is essential to consider the South African economy it supports. In 2025, the country recorded a nominal GDP estimated between $410 billion and $426 billion, with real growth of approximately 1.1% to 1.3%, driven by a recovery in mining, resilient agricultural output, and notably improved electricity supply. Reflecting this hard-won operational turnaround, Eskom posted its first profit in eight years, underscoring that the stability provided by projects like HEX is not merely technical; it is foundational to national economic recovery.
READ ALSO: Nigeria and Morocco: Building Africa’s Transcontinental Energy Bridge
South Africa’s growth ceiling has historically been constrained by energy instability. Between 2008 and 2023, recurring load shedding shaved percentage points off GDP annually. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estimated that severe load shedding episodes cost the economy billions of rand per day at peak crisis levels.
The HEX Battery Energy Storage System is fundamentally economic infrastructure rather than a luxury, designed to address South Africa’s structural energy constraints. The Worcester flagship site features 360 lithium-ion battery modules delivering 20 megawatts of capacity with 100 megawatt-hours of storage, enabling up to five hours of uninterrupted discharge. Strategically programmed to capture excess wind generation at night, the system discharges during critical morning and evening peak demand windows, providing stability precisely when the economy needs it most. Having achieved commercial operations in October 2023, HEX BESS represents a tangible solution to the load-shedding crisis that has long threatened agricultural and industrial productivity.
Promise Ntuli, Senior Manager for Maintenance and Operations at Eskom Distribution Western Cape, explains, “The wind blows sometimes when energy demand is low – typically at night when people are asleep.” HEX turns that mismatch into usable power at dawn.
HEX is the flagship first phase of Eskom’s much larger distributed battery storage strategy, which aims to install 360 megawatts of capacity with 1,440 megawatt-hours of storage nationwide. Phase one targets 833 megawatt-hours across eight sites, including HEX, Graafwater, and Paleisheuwel, with 2 megawatts of accompanying solar PV. Phase two will add a further 144 megawatts and 616 megawatt-hours of capacity. The programme is backed by approximately $406 million in financing from multilateral institutions, including the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
Experts and institutions describe the HEX BESS as a landmark innovation reshaping South Africa’s and the continent’s energy landscape. Eskom Programme Manager Lwando Limba confirms the batteries are the first of their kind in South Africa and Africa, while the African Development Bank’s Anthony Karembu notes that South Africa’s pioneering adoption of this technology is already influencing policies continent-wide. Eskom’s Timothy Nzimande highlights the practical impact on farmers, ensuring their operations run without disruption. Former Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan calls battery storage expansion a decisive step toward overcoming load shedding, and Eskom’s Bheki Nxumalo emphasises that the project demonstrates Eskom’s capacity for finding alternative and lasting solutions.
The HEX Battery Energy Storage System delivers multifaceted contributions to South Africa’s development far beyond its technical specifications. It enhances grid stability by providing frequency regulation and voltage support during peak demand, reducing reliance on expensive diesel peaking plants. By enabling the integration of intermittent renewable energy, South Africa added 1.6 GW of solar in 2025 alone. HEX converts variable power into dispatchable, reliable electricity, directly contributing to the remarkable achievement of 168 consecutive days without load shedding by November 2025. The local economic impact has been tangible, with approximately 250 community members employed during construction, support for 12 early childhood centres, and prioritised SME procurement, demonstrating that infrastructure can deliver social dividends alongside technical performance.
HEX has proven catalytic for South Africa’s emergence as a global battery storage leader. Under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, 18 IPPs have secured bids with R39 billion in committed investment, adding 1.7 GW of new battery capacity. South Africa now ranks among the top ten global BESS markets, with projections showing growth from $15.8 billion in 2025 to $56.4 billion by 2032. This builds on a strong foundation of renewable leadership, the largest in Africa at approximately 13.5 GW, supported by transparent procurement frameworks, the Just Energy Transition Partnership’s $11.8 billion pledge, and critical mineral advantages. The 2024 Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which removed generation licensing caps, further accelerates decentralised investment and local manufacturing under the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan.
South Africa’s energy system has undergone a profound transformation from its historically coal-centric model, where 80% of electricity came from centralised coal plants with minimal storage infrastructure. Load shedding, which escalated after 2008 due to ageing plants and maintenance backlogs, catalysed policy discussions around battery storage beginning in 2018. HEX, commissioned in 2023, marked the continental turning point, the first utility-scale facility demonstrating that energy transition is not theoretical but executable, financeable, and scalable.
