Mzansi Energy Consortium helps future proof SA’s national grid
27 November 2025
News
Mzansi Energy Consortium is leading South Africa’s clean energy transition by making grid-forming technology central to its new 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Palabora Mining Company (PMC). The Marula Green Power project will be South Africa’s first grid-forming renewable energy facility, combining 132 MWp of solar PV with a 360 MWh battery energy storage system and a dedicated 132 kV transmission line.
Grid-forming the new de facto standard
While renewable power is vital to reducing carbon emissions, traditional ‘grid-following’ renewable plants can unintentionally destabilise the national grid as renewable penetration increases. Studies and global experience show that at around 30% penetration, conventional grid-following renewable plants, which synchronise to, but do not stabilise the grid, can exacerbate frequency and voltage instability.
“As a metaphor, traditional grid-following systems are like an old train where only the locomotive (coal/gas plants) provides stability. Adding too many renewable ‘carriages’ makes it unstable, requiring extra support. Grid-forming systems are like a modern high-speed train where every carriage helps drive and stabilise. As more renewables are added, the grid becomes stronger and more resilient because grid-forming inverters actively maintain frequency and voltage,” says Wessel Wessels, COO at Mzansi Energy Consortium and founder and CEO of Journey2Green.
“Grid forming will be the de facto standard,” says Wessels. “It allows solar and storage systems to behave like traditional synchronous generators – providing inertia, voltage support, and even black start capability. Without this capability, the proliferation of grid-following projects will place increasing stress on South Africa’s already constrained system.”
Mzansi Energy is implementing the system in partnership with Huawei, whose advanced inverter platforms and lifecycle risk-sharing model have been applied internationally. Together with Eskom, the consortium is running extensive modelling and compliance studies to align the project with evolving South African grid codes.
For more information visit www.mzansi.energy
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