The South African renewable energy provider, NOA Group, has acquired the 350 MW Khauta solar photovoltaic (PV) facility from Pure New Energy (PNE). The site is located near Welkom in the Free State. With this addition, NOA’s total grid-secured assets now amount to around 500 MW, marking a significant advancement in its portfolio and bringing the company a step closer to achieving its 5 GW target.

These solar PV assets are on track for financial close and construction commencement by quarter four this year. “With US$180 million in equity financing already secured for development, we are scaling our operations, which includes an extensive pipeline of projects. By the end of this year, we expect to have approximately 450 MW of our fleet of RE facilities under construction,” says Karel Cornelissen, CEO of NOA Group.

The Khauta project represents NOA's first foray into utility-scale solar PV facilities. “This aligns with recent reforms in South Africa’s electricity market, which have accelerated over the past two years, fostering competition among electricity suppliers and highlighted by the release of a draft market code as part of the evolving wholesale electricity market framework,” says Cornelissen.

These projects are situated outside the REDZ 5, primarily located in the Free State, with the overhead line (OHL) connecting to the Leander Substation within Eskom’s transmission corridor.

The Khauta cluster is one of the largest in the Free State, a region that has recently drawn significant interest, with several large clusters nearing commercialisation. This interest is largely due to improved grid access—a challenge in other green energy hotspots like the Northern Cape, where capacity is reaching its limits.