SolarAfrica Completes First 342 MW Phase Of Flagship Wheeling Project, With Next Phase Already Underway
· Financial close on the SunCentral 3 cluster completes the first 342 MW phase of SolarAfrica’s flagship wheeling development, which will deliver up to 1 GW at full scale
· First power from SunCentral will come online in the second half of 2026
· Development activities for Phase 2, beginning with the SunCentral 4 project, are already underway
· Future phases are expected to incorporate hybrid solar and battery energy storage, extending clean power beyond daylight hours.
SolarAfrica has reached financial close on SunCentral 3, the third and final 114 MW facility comprising Phase 1 of its flagship utility-scale solar development, SunCentral.
The new funding, provided by RMB and Investec Bank Limited, completes the financial and development pathway for the first phase of the project, comprising 342 MW of new renewable energy generation capacity that will be wheeled through South Africa’s national grid.
The first 114 MW is expected to come online during the second half of 2026, and once completed, SunCentral will deliver up to 1 GW of renewable energy capacity.
Located between Hanover and De Aar in the Northern Cape, SunCentral is being developed as a utility-scale solar PV plant for multiple off-takers (one-to-many wheeling), unlike other projects built for a single, dedicated large power consumer. SolarAfrica predominantly serves the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) sector, with customers across various industries, including automotive, mining, data centres, manufacturing, retail, and corporate parks.
David McDonald, CEO of SolarAfrica, says reaching financial close on the SunCentral 3 cluster represents another important step in turning the company’s vision for utility-scale wheeling into reality. “With financial close now achieved across the final part of Phase 1, our focus is fixed firmly on delivery. We are now significantly closer to supplying businesses with affordable, clean energy at scale.”
McDonald says the achievement also demonstrates continued confidence in both the project and the growing role wheeling will play in South Africa’s energy future. “South African businesses are increasingly looking for long-term energy certainty – both in security of supply and cost savings. Projects such as SunCentral enable companies to access green power while managing rising electricity costs and reducing their carbon footprint. The market demand is definitely there, and we are continuing to build the infrastructure needed to meet it.”
The project is rapidly gaining momentum, with financial close on SunCentral 1 – 3, which make up the full Phase 1, achieved over a period of 18 months. McDonald says that SolarAfrica has already begun advancing Phase 2 of the development, with processes and activities already underway for SunCentral 4.
Looking ahead, McDonald says future phases of SunCentral are expected to increasingly combine utility-scale solar generation with battery energy storage systems (BESS), enabling renewable energy to be supplied beyond daylight hours. “Hybrid projects represent the next evolution of utility-scale wheeling. By pairing solar with battery storage, we can offer our customers a greater share of renewable energy within their overall electricity mix, while moving clean energy to periods when demand (and electricity costs) are typically higher. It also helps create a more balanced grid by reducing the concentration of solar generation during the middle of the day.”
SolarAfrica has also completed the project’s Main Transmission Substation (MTS), a R1,35 billion investment that will connect SunCentral’s renewable energy output to the national grid. The substation will be handed over to the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) and will form part of the transmission infrastructure required to connect new renewable energy generation to the national grid.
“The progress being made at SunCentral reflects our long-term commitment to supporting both energy security and the country’s broader energy transition. SunCentral is one component of our greater generation footprint that we’re developing across South Africa, and we’re excited to bring the energy solutions of tomorrow to more C&I businesses,” concludes McDonald.