European renewable-energy company Photon Energy has successfully secured 1 200 ha of land for a 250 MW concentrated solar PV plant with 150 MW (1.8 GWh or 12 hours) of thermal hydro storage to be built in Winterton, KwaZulu-Natal, and has received favourable grid connection terms, thereby ensuring it can fully integrate its capacity into the grid.

“This project represents a significant milestone for Photon Energy as we expand our footprint into South Africa,” says group CEO Georg Hotar.

The company is also deploying its advanced RayGen technology and fostering strong collaboration with State-owned utility Eskom and local stakeholders, thereby demonstrating its commitment to contributing to South Africa’s energy stability and delivering sustainable solutions that benefit the environment and local communities, he says.

The project is expected to reach the ready-to-build status by the second quarter of 2026.

In the next phase of development, Photon Energy will collaborate with Eskom to design and implement the necessary technical solutions for integrating the plant into both the national and regional energy grids.

This partnership aims to ensure grid stability, optimise energy distribution and provide essential services such as frequency regulation and peak load management.

By working closely with Eskom as the distribution system operator, Photon Energy intends to secure deployment of this advanced technology, delivering significant value to both the energy sector and local communities, he explains.

Further, the project is making steady progress, with the environmental-impact assessment (EIA) to be concluded by the fourth quarter of this year and zoning processes advancing.

Photon Energy is also preparing to start the National Energy Regulator of South Africa energy licence application and the public participation process, which are key steps toward securing all necessary approvals for construction.

Additionally, Photon Energy is pursuing Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) status under South Africa’s Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission. Achieving SIP designation would provide critical support by enabling expedited development timelines and fostering collaboration with key public and private stakeholders, the company says.

Meanwhile, RayGen’s Solar Hydro solution addresses the growing need for long-duration energy storage by combining concentrated solar electricity and heat generation with a water-based thermal storage solution that can provide dispatchable synchronous energy over periods exceeding 12 hours.