According to a statement issued by the British High Commission on Friday, 05 April 2024, Upington is set to become home to the largest battery storage project in Africa. Developed by the UK company, Globeleq, the project known as Red Sand will be located 100 km southeast of Upington and will be constructed on 5 hectares of land with an estimated investment of R5.7 million, funded partly by the UK government following their Just Energy Transition Partnership. Globeleq explained that the Battery Energy Storage Project will work together with renewable energy sources by storing excess energy generated by these sources and releasing power to the grid when demand for electricity is high but production is low. As said by Kalnisha Sing, Executive Director of Women in Energy, Northern Cape is the beating heart of renewable energy and wishes to inform residents that they are taken into consideration when developing renewable energy…  INSERT [SING]  This project is seen as crucial to South Africa’s energy needs as more energy projects benefit from the advances made by battery storage technology.

Journalist: Tasha-Ree Kella
Email: tashakella13@gmail.com