Technicians performing maintenance on electrical transformers at an African power substation.
South Africa plans to procure 4,600 megawatts of battery energy storage and 5,000 megawatts of gas-fired generation to improve grid stability and manage excess daytime electricity. Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the investments would help store surplus solar power for use during periods of higher demand and provide flexible generation when renewable output declines. Eskom currently has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 MW of excess daytime capacity, forcing it to instruct independent producers to curtail output while still paying for the power. Batteries can shift surplus energy to evening demand, while gas plants can ramp quickly to balance renewables. Construction has already begun on five battery storage projects that attracted roughly $850 million in investment.