Eskom has officially started operating the first of eight utility-scale battery energy storage system projects. This is part of phase one of a World Bank-funded programme, to add batteries with a combined storage capacity of 199 megawatts. The first project is on Eskom’s distribution network in Worcester in the Western Cape using batteries supplied by Hyosung, of South Korea. Eskom has also placed phase two on hold, through which it aims to introduce a further 144 megawatts of battery energy storage system across four sites, as it needs clarification from the National Treasury.
Phase 1 of Eskom’s battery energy storage system projects has started