South Africa is set to deploy its first utility-scale grid-forming system as part of the Marula Green Power initiative – a renewable energy project supplying clean power to Palabora Mining Company (PMC).
The system combines 132 MWp of solar PV, a 360 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) and a dedicated 132 kV wheeling line connected to Eskom’s transmission network. It is designed to stabilise voltage and frequency on the national grid while wheeling power directly to PMC’s mining operations in Ba-Phalaborwa, Limpopo.
The project, led by Mzansi Energy Consortium in partnership with developer Journey 2 Green (J2G), was announced at the 2025 SNEC PV Expo in Shanghai where Huawei Digital Power Sub-Saharan Africa was confirmed as the original equipment manufacturer and technology partner.
Unlike conventional inverters that rely on an existing grid signal, grid-forming systems can create and maintain voltage and frequency, making them critical for grid stability as renewables increase. “The grid-forming capabilities built into the BESS will allow the system to synchronise with grid frequency and regulate voltage, providing grid stability services traditionally delivered by synchronous generators,” Huawei said in a statement.
The project incorporates an advanced energy management system and follows a “factory-to-field model” that shares technology risk across the life cycle, said Wessel Wessels, Chief Operations Officer at Mzansi Energy Consortium and CEO of Journey2Green.
Financial close is expected in the fourth quarter with construction scheduled to begin shortly thereafter. Commercial operations are targeted to commence in early 2027.
