Name of the Project
SunCentral Solar Farm.

Location
Northern Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
ommercial and industrial renewable-energy producer SolarAfrica Energy.

Project Description
The project entails the construction of SolarAfrica’s first utility-scale solar farm. SunCentral forms part of SolarAfrica’s wider national wheeling portfolio in development and is expected to expand to 3 GW. The model combines large-scale generation with wheeled delivery, enabling commercial and industrial users to procure renewable electricity without funding on-site solar installations themselves.

SunCentral will be developed in three phases.

The 342 MW first phase will be delivered through a staged roll-out of three 114 MW facilities and will deliver renewable energy to various offtakers by wheeling it through South Africa’s power grid. 

Phase 1 will comprise more than 500 000 solar panels, and include the construction of a dedicated main transmission substation and transmission lines to evacuate power into the grid.

Phases 2 and 3 will increase SunCentral’s capacity to 1 GW.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Phase 1 is estimated at R5-billion. 

Planned Start/End Date
The project broke ground in June 2024. 

SunCentral 1, secured funding at the end of 2024.  Power will come online in 2026.

SolarAfrica reached financial close on SunCentral 2 in February 2026. Power is expected to come online in the second half of 2026.

Latest Developments
SolarAfrica has reached financial close on R1.5-billion for SunCentral 2.

The project financing comes from Rand Merchant Bank and Investec Bank. SunCentral 2 follows the 114 MW SunCentral 1, which secured funding at the end of 2024. 

As with SunCentral 1, the second plant includes community-development commitments linked to construction and operations. These include local jobs, skills training, education support and procurement opportunities in surrounding areas.

A share of capital from each SunCentral project is also being directed to the main transmission substation, designed with up to 2 GW evacuation capacity. This infrastructure is intended to improve grid integration for current and future renewable projects while supporting broader system resilience.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Soventix (co-developer); Proconics (transmission substation principal contractor); and PowerChina (principal solar contractor).

Contact Details for Project Information
SolarAfrica Energy, tel +27 12 881 4800 or email info@solarafrica.com.