A river runs through it: South Africa’s hydroelectric past, present and potential

South Africa’s energy landscape has long been dominated by coal, more recently supplemented by solar and wind. But flowing quietly beneath the surface is a surprisingly diverse history of hydroelectricity. From pioneering municipal schemes and homeland-era infrastructure to merchant wheeling projects and large-scale pumped storage, hydro remains an essential part of the country’s energy mix.

This article attempts to provide a comprehensive guide to South Africa’s current and historical hydro plants - operational, decommissioned, under construction, and those still on the drawing board.

Belvedere hydro plant - commissioned in 1911 and abandoned in the 1960s

The Orange River system: South Africa’s hydro backbone

The Orange River and its tributaries anchor the country’s largest hydro developments.

• Gariep Dam (360 MW) and Vanderkloof Dam (240 MW) are Eskom’s flagship conventional hydro stations. Built in the 1970s, they use vertical Francis turbines to balance grid demand and seasonal irrigation flows.

• Neusberg Hydro (10 MW), near Kakamas in the Northern Cape, is a privately developed run-of-river IPP commissioned in 2015. It generates approximately 70 GWh annually using irrigation weir releases.

• Michael Vermaak Boerdery operates a trio of run-of-river plants on the Orange–Fish system totaling 1.3 MW - likely the only active small hydro on that once-envisioned 100 MW Fish / Sundays river corridor.

• Teebus Outfall, where the Orange–Fish Tunnel terminates, contains unused civil works from a failed 1970s 1 MW installation. It remains a promising 10 MW site for revival.

• The original Orange River Development Project included the now-cancelled Torquay Dam downstream of Vanderkloof. Instead, developers have proposed the Rooikat and Meerkat mid-merit hydro projects (2 × 30 MW) to complete the cascade.

Ash River corridor: South Africa’s hydro hotspot

Fed by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the Ash River in the Free State is home to a cluster of REIPPPP and merchant hydro projects:

• Sol Plaatje (3 MW) and Merino (3 MW) were among the first REIPPPP run-of-river projects.

• Stortemelk Hydro (4.3 MW), developed by Renewable Energy Holdings, was another early REIPPPP success.

• Kruisvallei Hydro, developed by Red Rocket, includes Middle and Lower Kruisvallei plants (4 MW total).

• Boston Hydro (5 MW), under construction by Serengeti Energy, is South Africa’s first merchant hydro IPP. Electricity will be wheeled to Growthpoint Properties via Etana Energy.

Municipal and homeland-era hydro: Legacy infrastructure

Before national grid consolidation, municipalities and the old Transkei government operated independent hydro plants:

• Ceres Municipal Hydro (0.8 MW) in the Western Cape is long decommissioned.

• The Cederberg Municipality sold its 300kWp hydro-power plant on the Clanwilliam Dam to an IPP, Clackson Power, in 1998. The power generated is sold back to the municipality.

• Bakenkop Power Station (800 kW) near Mkondo (Piet Retief), Kwazulu-Natal, was commissioned in 1950 and operated until very recently, but is now believed to be abandoned.

• Lydenburg Hydro (2.1 MW), owned by Thaba Chweu Municipality, Mpumalanga, on the Dorps River, began re-supplying the grid in 2014. It now wheels power to the Managanese Metals Corporation in Nelspruit.

  
  

Ceres Municipal Hydro today

All three of the following Eastern Cape hydro schemes were originally developed and operated by the Transkei Electricity Corporation.

• Ncora Hydro (2.1 MW), now operated by Eskom Distribution, remains active, integrated with rural electrification and water transfers.

• Colly Wobbles (42 MW), also operated by Eskom Distribution, was commissioned in 1985, diverts water through a mountain tunnel to exploit a 200 m drop.

• First Falls (6 MW) and Second Falls (11 MW) on the Mthatha River were homeland-era plants, now decommissioned.

Historic relics: Industrial and pioneering hydro stations

• Belvedere Power Station (2 MW) on the Blyde River, commissioned in 1911, once powered Pilgrim’s Rest.

• Sabie River Gorge (1.35 MW), Eskom’s first engineered plant, ran from 1928 to 1964.

• Hartbeespoort Dam Hydro (300–500 kW) served the local area in the early 20th century.

• Kouga Dam Hydro (3.6 MW), in the Eastern Cape, built for irrigation canal releases, is now mothballed.

• Msauli Hydro Plant (1MW), a defunct station on the Komati river in Mpumalanga, once served the Msauli asbestos mine and village.

• Howick Hydro, built in 1919 above the Howick Falls on the Umgeni River, provided power to the Dunlop factory and the town. It remains one of the oldest hydroelectric plants in the country, and although small, is still operational in a limited capacity.

Agricultural and mining innovation

Farmers, agribusinesses, and mining companies continue to pioneer distributed hydro generation:

• L’Ormarins Hydro (2.3 MW), commissioned in 2017 on the Anthonij Rupert Wyne estate, uses a 300 m head and supplies both estate operations and the national grid.

• Michael Vermaak Boerdery (Eastern Cape) operates three modern plants totaling 1.3 MW.

• Friedenheim (2 MW), in Nelspruit on the Crocodile River, has been operated by the Friedenheim Irrigation Board since 1987.

• RCL Foods / TSB Sugar (600 kW–1 MW), uses run-of-river hydro, also on the Crocodile River, to support a sugar mill.

Mining applications of hydro are less visible but no less significant:

• Elandsrand (Kusasalethu) Mine, near Carletonville, uses underground water flows from shafts as deep as 3,600 m to generate hydroelectric power on-site. This approach reduces reliance on Eskom and supports critical ventilation and pumping infrastructure.

• Now closed gold mines like President Steyn and President Brand historically also employed hydroelectric techniques to drive equipment and support dewatering operations.

Urban and in-conduit hydro

Cape Town uses water system pressure to generate clean electricity:

• Faure WTP (1.475 MW)

• Blackheath, Steenbras, and Wemmershoek (combined ~1 MW)

Pumped storage: Hydro as energy storage

South Africa’s four pumped storage schemes are its hydro heavyweights:

• Drakensberg (1,000 MW), Palmiet (400 MW), and Steenbras (180 MW) provide legacy flexibility.

• Ingula (1,332 MW), completed in 2016, remains the largest and most modern.

• Tubatse (1,525 MW), now in advanced development, is likely to be the first new large pumped station since Ingula.

Hydro dreams of the future

Hydro development interest has grown, including projects at different scales:

• Ceres Pumped Storage (100 MW) and Tubatse aim to provide long-duration storage.

• Sabie Gorge II (1.7 MW) and Donora (1.8 MW) mark small-scale Mpumalanga revivals.

• Hartebeespoort (5.7 MW) could resurrect its original hydro legacy.

• Rooikat and Meerkat (2 × 30 MW) would create mid-merit flexibility on the Orange River.

• Teebus Tunnel (10 MW) awaits reactivation in the Eastern Cape.

• Mbokazi (180 MW), Tina Falls (25 MW), Tsitsa Falls (117 MW), and Qalweni (50 MW) are large proposed Eastern Cape developments, however progress is uncertain.

• The Upper uMkhomazi Water Project will see a 32km inter-basin transfer tunnel from the Smithfield Dam, near Richmond, Kwazulu-Natal, on the uMkhomazi to the uMlaza River valley. The tunnel inlet could support a 2.6 MW hydro plant and the tunnel outlet a 3 MW hydro plant. Construction is set to begin in 2026.

• Phongola (4 MW) in KwaZulu-Natal and Boston Hydro (5 MW) on the Ash River in the Free State round out the current pipeline.

Southern Africa's past, present and future hydro power plants - Source: AmaranthCX

Conclusion: a small yet useful force

Hydropower in South Africa will never rival coal, wind, or solar in scale, but its value is undeniable, especially for energy storage.

From the rivers of the Eastern Cape to the Ash and Orange corridors, hydro provides dispatchable, clean, and often decentralised power. As the country embraces private procurement, wheeling, and flexible generation, hydro - old and new - deserves renewed attention.