The Damlaagte PV Facility (“Damlaagte”) has established its commercial operation date, marking the start of a 20-year operational period for this 97.5 megawatt (MW) site. It formally started commercial operations on Saturday 23rd August 2025.
Located near Parys in the Free State province, Damlaagte connects to the Eskom grid and will provide approximately 270 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity in its first year of operations. The Damlaagte PV Facility is owned by Mainstream Renewable Power (“Mainstream”), uBuzwe Energy (Pty) Ltd (“uBuzwe”) and the Thembelihle Trust. The site, constructed and operated by Mainstream Renewable Power, is the first renewable energy project to supply power under a landmark joint procurement program by its strategic partners, Air Liquide and Sasol.
The renewable energy from Damlaagte will be supplied to the Secunda site, where Air Liquide owns and operates the world’s largest oxygen production site, following its acquisition of the facility from Sasol in 2020. This PPA is the first to come online from a joint initiative between Air Liquide and Sasol to procure a total of nearly 700 MW of renewable power for these operations. This program is a key enabler for both companies’ ambitious decarbonization roadmaps.
“ Damlaagte PV Facility coming on line marks yet another great accomplishment for us in our journey towards lower carbon intensity ” said Simon Baloyi, Sasol’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This year, we have achieved several milestones in renewable energy, including securing an additional 160MW bringing the total renewable energy secured in South Africa, to more than 900MW. We are well on track to meet our 2030 Renewable Energy target of up to 2 GW.”
“The Damlaagte commercial operation is a major milestone for the decarbonization of our operations in Secunda, the world’s largest oxygen production site. It is a crucial step toward our goal of reducing CO₂ emissions from the Secunda operations by 30% to 40% by 2031, and a powerful demonstration of our global commitment to decarbonization,” said Nicolas Poirot, CEO, Africa, Middle East & India (AMEI) for Air Liquide.
Energy policy and supply is not only about technology, but also has a substantial influence on economicgrowth and socio-economic development. Construction of Damlaagte started in November 2023, employing almost 2000 people from nearby communities, including Tumahole, Schonkenville, and Vredefort. Damlaagte and its partners, Power China Maanda, LeadEPC, and Tractionel Holdings, utilised the services of local businesses where applicable and established a skills development programme that trained over 100 people.
“uBuzwe, a member of the Kholosani Group of Companies, is an infrastructure investment company, with a portfolio of 17 Renewable Energy assets that are part of our portfolio, uBuzwe has experience in the Solar, Solar Thermal and Wind power generation sectors and currently generates over a 1000 GWh per annum of clean energy. We drive impactful solutions for the development and improvement of critical infrastructure projects across South Africa,” says Indiran Pillay, uBuzwe Director.
“We are proud to partner with Sasol and Air Liquide, delivering an efficient and cost-effective solution to their decarbonisation needs. As one of the most successful developers of renewable energy in South Africa, Mainstream is well positioned as a partner of choice for private PPAs. These agreements are crucial to unlocking the country’s energy constraints, as they can make a significant contribution to our energy security and loadshedding challenges quickly and cost-effectively. We are pleased that Mainstream is at the forefront of the energy transition,” said Hein Reyneke, Mainstream’s General Manager for Africa.