South Africa’s largest renewable energy independent power producer, Anthem, has reached financial close on its 475 MWac Notsi solar photovoltaic project in the Free State — currently the largest solar PV project in South Africa Mynewsdesk — marking a decisive step in the country’s shift toward privately financed, large-scale clean energy supply for the industrial sector.
The project, spanning more than 1,000 hectares and comprising over 860,000 solar panels, will deliver an annual energy output of approximately 1,500,000 MWh of clean electricity — enough to power roughly 140,000 homes per year. Mynewsdesk Financial close was announced on 5 March 2026.
Grid Infrastructure Delivered, Industrial Off-takers Locked In
The Notsi project is part of a broader capital deployment programme that has seen Anthem move on multiple fronts simultaneously. In February, the company energised the Gamma B Main Transmission Substation, a key infrastructure project built over 20 months on behalf of the National Transmission Company South Africa, a subsidiary of Eskom. The facility incorporates 400 kV and 132 kV infrastructure, a 500 MVA transformer, and capacity for future grid connections. Ecofin Agency
Located on the border of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, between Victoria West and Murraysburg, the substation will evacuate power generated by the Umsinde, Khangela and Ishwati Emoyeni wind farms — three projects under construction representing 420 MW of contracted capacity. Electricity will be fed into the national grid and delivered to clients through a wheeling mechanism, with full commissioning scheduled for Q4 2026. Greenbuildingafrica
Power purchase agreements for the Northern Cluster have been signed with industrial off-takers including Sibanye-Stillwater, Richards Bay Minerals and NOA Group Trading. Ecofin Agency The Notsi solar project carries its own separate off-take structure: 20-year wheeling agreements have been concluded with Discovery Green and NOA under a multi-offtaker model using Eskom’s national grid. Mynewsdesk
Presidential Recognition and R10-Billion Commitment
The scale of Anthem’s industrial build-out drew direct acknowledgement at the highest levels of government. At the South African Investment Conference on 31 March 2026, hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Anthem was specifically recognised in the president’s closing address for committing more than R10-billion that has already been, or will be, directed into growing the country’s GDP through its renewable energy and transmission infrastructure projects. Africanmining
Anthem is the lead investor, developer, generator, and long-term operator of the Notsi project, with Reatile Group serving as equity partner. Construction is expected to be completed within 26 months. Mynewsdesk
Scale, Structure, and Strategic Logic
Anthem’s emergence as a dominant force in South Africa’s energy infrastructure market reflects a model built around simultaneous generation, transmission, and commercial delivery. The company holds a secured portfolio of more than 2.7 GW, with an estimated 15% market share in South Africa’s renewables IPP market, and controls an 11 GW greenfield pipeline across South Africa with plans to expand further into Southern Africa. Aiimafrica
Anthem was formed through the merger of African Clean Energy Developments and EIMS Africa, and is backed by the African Infrastructure Investment Managers IDEAS Fund, the Mahlako Energy Fund, and Norfund. Africasustainabilitymatters
The Notsi project illustrates a structural shift in how industrial-scale power is being procured in South Africa. Rather than depending on Eskom’s generation capacity, large commercial and industrial consumers — from mining companies to financial services groups — are entering long-term private purchase agreements directly with independent producers, using the national grid as a conduit rather than a supplier.
Three wind farms, each with a maximum export capacity of 140 MW, have already been contracted to industrial clients including Sibanye-Stillwater, Richards Bay Minerals, and Noah Group Trading, with energisation of the grid connection lines anticipated later this year. Business Day
What It Signals
The convergence of the Gamma B substation energisation, the Notsi financial close, and the SAIC recognition within a six-week window signals that South Africa’s private energy infrastructure build-out has entered a phase of real delivery — not planning. Capital has been committed, grid infrastructure has been physically energised, and industrial off-takers from mining to commercial services have anchored the revenue base.
For South Africa’s energy-intensive industrial sectors — platinum group metals, base metals processing, minerals beneficiation — access to reliable, cost-competitive private power is no longer a future aspiration. It is being built and contracted now.
