Australian-German outfit Frazer Solar has signed a binding contract with the Government of Eswatini (Swaziland) for a 100MW solar battery project, which will be the largest project of its kind in Africa.
The €100m Mega Solar-Storage project will be located at the Edwaleni power station in Matsapha, Eswatini, with 100MW of initial capacity.
It will supply energy to countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The project will consist of 75,000 solar panels covering 45 hectares on a total 54 hectare site.
The Mega Solar-Storage system will help to reduce load shedding in South Africa and SADC by providing much needed power at peak times. The term of the contract is 40 years.
The large-scale solar-storage project is being developed by Frazer Solar subsidiary Frazium Energy.
Frazium Energy director Robert Frazer said: “We are so grateful to the Government of Eswatini for their support, confidence, and belief in our vision for this project, and we are so excited for the role we can play in Eswatini’s and Africa’s green energy future.
“We believe in the strength of Eswatini’s future – not only does this project follow the great success of our solar hot water heaters earlier in the year, but we intend to invest beyond the €100m already committed for the Mega Solar-Storage Project in the years that come.
“Africa’s largest battery is coming, and it is coming to Eswatini. The future is not just bright, it is solar-powered.”