The government of South Africa plans to start a procurement process for 5 GW of gas-fired power capacity and 4.6 GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS), as the first allocations under the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025. The IRP 2025 aims to add over 105 GW of new power capacity by 2039, including 25 GW of solar, but the development of gas-fired power plants and storage capacities is seen as a priority to answer immediate electricity supply requirements, with BESS being central to mitigating curtailment.
According to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, which unveiled additional generation capacity over the 2026-2037 planning horizon, “The proposed 4,600 MW allocation will substantially expand the procurement of storage services”. Where gas-fired power plants are concerned, the proposed 5 GW allocation will complement storage by “providing dispatchable electricity when renewable output falls, or demand rises”.
South Africa's first battery storage bid window selected five projects with a total capacity of 513 MW, which all entered construction by June 2025 and attracted ZAR15.4bn (USD932m) in investment. Since then, two additional battery storage bid windows have been held, procuring an additional 615 MW and 616 MW respectively.
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