Bloemfontein zhang pumped storage project

Can pumped storage support South Africa's energy transition?

Pumped storage is needed as solar and wind energy resources expand, South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) fellow Professor Mike Muller said during an Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and SAAE webinar held on September 4, titled ‘How pumped storage hydropower can support South Africa ’s energy transition’.

Should South Africa increase its pumped storage hydropower capacity?

It is imperative that South Africa immediately start increasing its pumped storage hydropower capacity, as this will take time and it is becoming increasingly important as the just energy transition proceeds.

What is Cape Town's pumped storage scheme?

Outlining some projects, SAAE honorary fellow Dr Mike Shand said the City of Cape Town’s 180 MW Steenbras pumped storage scheme, which was commissioned in 1979, was normally used to minimise the cost of buying power from State-owned utility Eskom during peak tariff periods and to mitigate the impacts of loadshedding on the city’s users.

Does pumped storage support structured supply restrictions?

Muller emphasised that pumped storage would support structured supply restrictions. He pointed out that pumped storage helped to moderate volatility and may also enable infrastructure savings, thereby reducing costs to users. Muller added that pumped storage was cost effective and competitive and that it supported many ancillary grid services.

How much pumped storage capacity does the country have?

Muller pointed out that the country already had credible pumped storage capacity, with major pumped storage stations equating to 2 912 MW of total pumped storage currently.