EXXARO Resources has bought control of two renewable energy facilities nearly doubling the net operating capacity of subsidiary Cennergi.
Cennergi will have a net operating capacity of 317MW by dint of its R1.8bn acquisition of majority stakes in the 138MW Gouda Wind Farm and the 75MW Sishen Solar Facility. Ben Magara, CEO of Exxaro said on Thursday the deals strengthened his firm’s claim to be a “natural resources champion”.
The transaction also accelerates Exxaro’s ambitions to have 1.6GW in managed net renewable energy capacity by 2030. Shares in the company edged down just under 1% in Johannesburg, but have gained 11% so far this year.
The facilities were bought from Acciona Energía and include the operations and maintenance company that runs the facilities. The assets were projects procured in terms of South Africa’s renewable energy auction process, in the second bid window. Power purchase agreements with Eskom from both are for 20 years.
Cennergi has a further 180MW in renewable power under construction, Exxaro said. The closing date for Thursday’s transaction announcement is in the first half of 2026, subject to approvals.
Exxaro is one of South Africa’s largest coal producers. It sold 13.2 million tons to Eskom for the first six months of its 2025 financial year and exported a further 3.4Mt.
This is the second major renewable energy announcement by a coal producer this week. On Wednesday, Seriti Resources’s Seriti Green handed over a R1bn transmission station to Eskom after an 18-month construction programme. This will enable the first phase of one of South Africa’s largest renewable energy developments to begin feeding power into the national grid, Seriti Green said.
The Vunumoya Main Transmission Station in Mpumalanga became fully operational this week, allowing 155 megawatts of wind energy from Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni One Wind Energy Facility to enter the system ahead of the original March 2026 schedule. Power delivery commenced on 28 November.
