Eskom and Energy Vault have announced an agreement to deploy a gravity storage system at the Hendrina Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, with intention to licence, co-develop and partner to deploy up to 4 GWh of long-duration energy storage across the 16 SADC member states.
The partnership will significantly advance regional efforts to transition away from coal, leverage joint material science technology for economic re-use of waste coal ash within the energy storage medium, and support grid reliability, job creation, and local economic development.
NYSE-listed Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. (‘Energy Vault’ or ‘the company’), a global leader in sustainable, grid-scale energy storage and AI compute infrastructure solutions, today (13 May 2026) announced a Strategic Development Agreement with Eskom Holdings SOC Limited, South Africa’s state-owned electricity utility, to deploy a long-duration gravity energy storage system (GESS).
The first GESS plant is to be built at Eskom’s Hendrina Power Station in Mpumalanga, one of the utility’s oldest operating stations. The system is expected to provide 25 MW of capacity with four hours of storage, equivalent to 100 MWh, and is designed to be fully scalable, up to 4 GW. This landmark agreement establishes a partnership between the two companies, aligned with their long‑term interests to accelerate the decarbonisation of Southern Africa’s power sector.
Under the terms of the agreement, Energy Vault will provide Eskom with its latest EVx 2.0™ GESS technology system, and associated equipment, together with on‑site engineering, project management, and localised training support. The partnership intends to licence, co‑develop, and collaborate on the deployment of up to 4 GWh of GESS storage, with significant potential across the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) region by 2035.
Energy Vault’s EVx 2.0 GESS platform incorporates significant advances over the previous EVx design, particularly in the software orchestration, mechanical operation, energy efficiency, construction automation, and construction tooling. These enhancements enable a system capable of scaling to multi-gigawatts of efficient energy storage to support growing renewables penetration. The EVx 2.0 design also features improved material science technology for the economic re-use of ash from coal combustion as the storage medium in the blocks, which may weigh up to 25 to 30 tonnes each.
“This agreement with Eskom represents a transformational milestone for Energy Vault and for Africa’s energy future,” said Robert Piconi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “By combining our breakthrough EVx 2.0 platform with Eskom's extensive power generation, grid expertise and regional reach, we're advancing long-duration storage at unprecedented scale and pioneering a new model for sustainable industrial development. This partnership will create local jobs, establish resilient supply chains, and demonstrate how gravity energy storage can accelerate Africa's transition from coal dependency to energy independence and security – all while delivering reliable, affordable power to communities that need it."
The collaboration directly supports Eskom’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) initiative, which is focused on achieving a sustainable and equitable transition away from coal while ensuring grid reliability, job creation, and local economic development.
“Eskom is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its electricity generation activities and will continuously drive projects to support South Africa’s emissions reduction targets and transition responsibly. Eskom’s strategy is designed to position the utility as a resilient and competitive energy leader in a liberalised energy market We will drive a just and inclusive energy transition that includes intensifying the repowering and repurposing of coal power stations and exploring clean coal technologies and solutions using technology as a strategic enabler to improve efficiencies and lower the cost of electricity. This partnership with Energy Vault, and its innovative gravity storage technology, will play a pivotal role in enabling us to achieve our Just Energy Transition goals,” said Dan Marokane, Group Chief Executive, Eskom Holdings.
The Southern Africa energy landscape is undergoing a dynamic transformation, with governments and utilities across the SADC region working to expand access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity. Today, 56% of the SADC region’s population has access to electricity, up from just 36% a decade ago. This reflects the impact of coordinated regional efforts and investment in infrastructure. Coal remains the dominant source of power generation, contributing over 80% of South Africa’s electricity supply in 2024, but the region is diversifying its energy mix. Utility-scale energy storage technologies are set to play a key role in integrating renewables, strengthening national grid resilience, and improving grid reliability – and, at the same time, unlocking new opportunities for industrial growth, job creation, and community development.
The development agreement positions Eskom and Energy Vault as regional leaders in grid-scale long-duration storage and underscores both parties’ commitment to driving a clean, just, and resilient energy transition for Southern Africa.
For more information visit: www.energyvault.com
And: www.eskom.co.za
