Behind the morning surge is a quiet revolution in the town’s energy system: the HEX Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), Africa’s first utility‑scale lithium‑ion BESS, which is reshaping grid stability and ending load shedding for local producers.
Implemented by Eskom in partnership with South Korea’s Hyosung Heavy Industries, HEX delivers 20 MW/100 MWh of storage, capable of discharging uninterrupted power for up to five hours. It received its completion certificate on June 30, 2023, entered commercial operations on October 27, 2023, and now anchors an integrated mix of wind, solar and grid power that smooths Worcester’s daily peaks.
“The wind blows when demand is low, often at night,” said Promise Ntuli, Senior Manager for Maintenance and Operations at Eskom Distribution Western Cape. “The storage system captures that excess nighttime generation and releases it at dawn, precisely when factories and farms start up.”
For dairy farmer Pieter Loubser, the impact is immediate. “The cows need consistency. Feeding and milking at the same time every day. Luckily, load shedding is gone, and that is a big one for us,” he said. With wine and dairy driving Worcester’s economy, the ability to dispatch stored energy at morning peak safeguards livelihoods.
Backed by a $57.67 million concessional co‑investment from the Clean Technology Fund through the African Development Bank, HEX serves as the flagship of Eskom’s Western Cape storage programme, alongside facilities at Graafwater and Paleisheuwel. The sites prove a replicable model for reducing risk, improving reliability and validating financing for grid‑scale storage across the continent.
“This was new technology for everybody,” said Eskom Programme Manager Lwando Limba. “We have had specialists from around the world studying this site. The lessons on sequencing, procurement, logistics and safety are being shared widely.”
Project leaders stress that socioeconomic outcomes are as important as technical success. “We recruited locally, supported small and medium enterprises, and invested in community projects,” said Mbulelo Mvana from Eskom’s Stakeholder Relations team. “It was never just about infrastructure.”
According to the African Development Bank’s Anthony Karembu, the project is reshaping energy policy beyond SA as countries incorporate storage into master plans. Ntuli added that Eskom’s new division, Eskom Green, will scale renewables paired with batteries to store power and dispatch it when the grid needs it most.
–AfDB/ChannelAfrica–
