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PRIESKA POWER RESERVE OVERVIEW – NEWS FLASH

The Prieska Power Reserve TM Project was conceptualised by Martin Walzer, Technical Director of CENEC, during late 2017. The main objective was to establish a mega-scale renewable energy hub that would:

generate electrical energy from renewable sources, and
store energy as chemical energy as green hydrogen & ammonia on a long-term basis.

This will achieve energy independence and avoid constraints and limitations of the national electricity grid.

Under the guidance of the Managing Director, Cobus Vermeulen, the CENEC Team embarked on a possible site selection initiative. After extensive research, assessments and simulations, it was agreed that the area of Prieska met all the criteria to establish this visionary concept:

extremely high solar irradiation,
sustainable wind potential to ensure constant energy generation during night-times,
access to municipal waste-water as a green source of water,
availability of vast and suitable land,
access to the national road network via the N10, and
the possibility to utilise the existing rail network to transport the green hydrogen and ammonia to the harbours in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) or Coega for international exports.

The CENEC Team conducted a pre-feasibility study to assess the project’s viability on a preliminary basis, focusing on technical, legal & spatial, and financial project aspects. The pre-feasibility was concluded by April 2020 and confirmed the project’s viability on a preliminary basis.