Renewable-energy company KAHRE Renewable Energy Group has announced plans for South Africa’s first fully integrated net-zero industrial corridor, linking large-scale renewable-energy generation in the Northern Cape with green industrial processing, logistics and export infrastructure in the Western Cape.

The corridor is designed to attract between $50-billion and $150-billion in long-term investment and to position South Africa as a globally competitive location for green hydrogen and derivative industries, including ammonia, e-methanol and sustainable aviation fuels.

At full scale, the platform will comprise up to 20 GW of hybrid solar and wind generation, supported by large-scale electrolysis and integrated industrial infrastructure, forming one of the most comprehensive clean energy ecosystems of its kind.

“This project establishes a scalable and investable platform for South Africa’s net-zero economy.

“By integrating renewable power generation, transmission, industrial processing and export logistics, we are building long-term economic infrastructure that is globally relevant and locally anchored,” says KAHRE Renewable Energy Group founder and CEO Dominic Kahre.

KAHRE, in a media release, explains that the development is structured as a unified industrial ecosystem connecting renewable-energy production in the Northern Cape with manufacturing and logistics infrastructure in the Western Cape.

The company notes that the Northern Cape was selected owing to its exceptional solar and wind resources and is recognised as one of the world’s leading renewable-energy regions.

The corridor integrates four core components.

This includes large-scale hybrid solar and wind generation combined with electrolysis capacity; a 450 km Greenlink corridor incorporating high-voltage transmission and hydrogen or ammonia pipeline infrastructure; port-adjacent green fuel processing, bunkering and logistics facilities within the Saldanha Bay Special Economic Zone (SEZ); and a 2 700 ha sustainable eco-city development at Velddrif, supporting water security, housing, research and workforce requirements.

The corridor is expected to generate about 40 000 direct jobs and 120 000 indirect jobs across construction, operations, manufacturing and logistics.

Yearly export revenues are estimated at between $5-billion to $8-billion, reflecting growing international demand for green fuels and low-carbon industrial products.

From an environmental perspective, KAHRE says the integrated system has the potential to enable up to 20-million tonnes a year of CO₂ reductions, supporting decarbonisation across shipping, aviation and heavy industry.

The development also incorporates targeted social and skills investment.

KAHRE Renewable Energy Group says it will support education and training initiatives, including the provision of land for a privately funded, low-fee vocational and academic school focused on green industry skills, engineering, information and communications technology, agriculture and hospitality – ensuring local participation and long-term skills development.

The corridor spans both the Northern and Western Cape, aligning large-scale renewable-energy generation in the interior with coastal industrialisation and export infrastructure.

KAHRE says Western Cape leadership has highlighted the project’s importance for economic growth, job creation and long-term competitiveness.

“This development reflects the type of future-oriented investment the Western Cape is seeking to attract.

“Projects that strengthen exports, create jobs and position the country as a credible participant in the global green economy are central to our growth strategy,” says Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.

The project is being developed in close cooperation with key public and private stakeholders, including port and SEZ structures in Saldanha Bay.

KAHRE says this collaboration enables shared infrastructure development, efficient permitting processes and access to international green finance, while maintaining flexibility as the industrial platform evolves.

“This is about building resilient, long-term economic infrastructure. It strengthens South Africa’s industrial base, supports export diversification and aligns growth with the country’s energy transition objectives,” the company says in the release.