Anthem Breaks Ground on 475MW Solar Project in South Africa
South African independent power producer (IPP) Anthem has commenced construction on a 475MW solar PV project, described as the largest single-phase solar installation in the country.
The project, known as Notsi, is located in the Free State province in central South Africa. Construction officially began this week following the project’s financial close, which was supported by funding from Standard Bank. Anthem valued the development at approximately R9 billion (US$530 million).
The Notsi project is backed by long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with energy trading firms Discovery Green and NOA, ensuring stable offtake for the electricity generated.
Engineering and construction will be led by China Energy Engineering Corporation and the Northwest Electric Power Design Institute. The buildout is expected to take around 26 months, with completion targeted for early summer 2028.
Mike Wickins, Chief Commercial Officer of Anthem, said the project will play a key role in supporting corporate decarbonisation efforts. By supplying renewable electricity to commercial and industrial customers, the project also contributes to the expansion of South Africa’s aggregator market and its broader transition to lower-carbon energy.
Although currently designed as a standalone solar PV facility, Anthem CEO James Cumming indicated that there is strong potential to integrate battery energy storage in the future, as costs continue to fall and demand for grid flexibility increases. The company has already secured environmental approvals to add storage capacity at the site.
In addition to generation and potential storage, Anthem is also developing a transmission substation as part of the project. The company said this investment will help address South Africa’s grid infrastructure constraints. Once completed, the substation will be transferred to national utility Eskom.
Anthem added that by investing in its own grid connection and deploying a high-capacity transformer, it aims to control costs while ensuring reliable power delivery from the Notsi project.
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