Eskom has started a process to choose a strategic partner for the 1.5GW Tubatse pumped-storage scheme in Limpopo, which is set to become South Africa’s largest energy-storage project.
The request for qualification is the first stage of a competitive process to find a partner with the financial strength, technical expertise, development record and long-term commitment to carry the project forward. Tubatse is the flagship development of Eskom Green, the utility’s renewable energy subsidiary.
The plant will store about 21GWh of energy through four reversible pump-turbine units and will be able to generate at full output for up to 14 hours. It will pump water uphill when demand is low and release it through turbines at peak times, when wind and solar output falls or when the grid is under strain, reducing the amount of renewable power that goes to waste.
Eskom’s pumped-storage fleet and Tubatse:
| Scheme | Capacity | Status |
| Drakensberg | 1,000MW | Operating |
| Palmiet | 400MW | Operating |
| Ingula | 1,332MW | Operating since 2017 |
| Total pumped storage | 2,732MW | Operating |
| Conventional hydro (mainly Gariep, Vanderkloof) | 661MW | Operating |
| Tubatse | 1,500MW / 21GWh | Partner procurement |
Group chief executive Dan Marokane said long-duration storage would be essential to a reliable power system as the energy transition advances, and that Tubatse would provide the flexibility needed to absorb more renewable energy. Rivoningo Mnisi, group executive for renewables, said the aim was to combine Eskom’s development experience with private capital and expertise, while supporting localisation and skills development.
Eskom said the project is well past the concept stage. Land has been secured, environmental authorisation granted, key technical studies and access-road designs are advanced, grid connection studies have progressed, and the water and sanitation department has confirmed supply from De Hoop Dam. Infrastructure South Africa lists Tubatse among its top 12 national priority projects.
The procurement comes as storage moves up the policy agenda. Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said last week that the government would prioritise 4,600MW of battery storage and 5,000MW of gas-to-power under the integrated resource plan. The combined 9,600MW is aimed at rising curtailment, which occurs when available generation cannot be used because of network limits or surplus supply. The country also plans 14,000km of new high-voltage transmission lines over the next decade at an estimated cost of R440bn.
Private generation is changing the load on the grid. Eskom estimates installed rooftop solar behind the meter at 9.1GW, while its electricity sales fell 6.2% to 178TWh in the 2026 financial year, the lowest level since 2000.
Eskom Green targets up to 6GW of capacity by 2030, 21GW by 2035 and as much as 32GW by 2040, including 5GW of hydro and pumped storage. The announcement did not include a cost estimate or a date for selecting a partner.