Growthpoint acquires 30% stake in Hydroelectric plant, secures exclusive access through Etana PPA
Strategic investment in the hydro plant that is powering the 24/7 clean energy being wheeled to 10 Growthpoint flagship office buildings in Sandton.
Boston Hydroelectric plant within the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme near Clarens
Growthpoint Properties (JSE: GRT), South Africa’s leading Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), has acquired a 30% stake in the operational Boston Hydroelectric plant, a new R390 million development with an operational lifetime of over 40 years by leading independent power producer Serengeti Energy within the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme near Clarens.
As early as 2023, Growthpoint secured exclusive access to all the approximately 30GWh of renewable electricity generated by the plant annually, through its landmark 195GWh power purchase agreement (PPA) with licenced energy trader Etana Energy. Boston Hydro is the first project to come online in a mix of cost-saving, certified zero-carbon hydro, wind and solar electricity generation projects powering the PPA.
Strategic investment advances energy security
Growthpoint’s 30% stake in Boston Hydro continues its investment in renewable electricity sources and furthers its green energy transition which began more than a decade ago. The property group took its first steps into rooftop solar generation in 2011, from which is has grown a track record of practical, scalable, carbon reducing energy solutions for its business, tenants and South Africa.
Since its first installation, the property group has invested more than R1 billion in solar energy locally, grown one of South Africa’s largest Small Scale Embedded Generator (SSEG) renewable energy fleets and linked it to transparent certification frameworks. Growthpoint owns a fleet of 80 rooftop plants across its portfolio delivering 61.2MWp of capacity and generates a significant amount of clean electricity annually. A further 7MWp of solar installations are in the pipeline for commissioning by mid-2026.
Growthpoint now operates and procures one of South Africa’s most diversified private renewable energy portfolios, combining solar and hydro generation, with wind soon set to join its renewable energy mix as part of the PPA. Together with its rooftop solar, when its PPA with Etana Energy is fully operational, approximately 40% of Growthpoint’s total electricity demand will be supplied from renewable energy.
Powering up transparency too, Growthpoint verifies its renewable energy by registering the electricity generated on the International Renewable Energy Certificate (I-REC) registry via Fuel Switch, Africa’s first blockchain-enabled REC exchange. This ensures global transparency, traceability and accountability across its clean-energy portfolio.
Making renewable energy work for business
Bringing all this together is Growthpoint’s game-changing e-co₂ wheeled renewable energy initiative (which is short for electricity minus carbon dioxide and pronounced “eco two”). This solution is built around Growthpoint’s tenants — thousands of businesses, big and small, in all sectors of South Africa’s economy.
Growthpoint’s pioneering e-co₂ will deliver wheeled renewable electricity directly to 10 flagship office buildings in Sandton and their tenants within this month (October 2025), with the first electrons coming from the operational Boston Hydro over the national grid. e-co2 wheeled green electricity is stable and cost competitive for Growthpoint tenants, it has zero-carbon footprint and certified with tradable digital RECS.
Businesses can, for the first time in South Africa, cut their Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity in select Growthpoint buildings. So, they can save money, advance their sustainability goals and report certified emissions reductions aligned with evolving IFRS sustainability reporting standards.
The launch of e-co2 positions Growthpoint as South Africa’s first provider of a commercial-scale wheeled renewable energy solution for multi-tenanted commercial properties, with building-level certification and benefits that are made available to tenants in a verified, auditable format.
Leading collaboration in South Africa’s private renewable energy market
Leading the way in bringing certified renewable energy into daily business use, e-co2 is built on unprecedented collaboration and leading-edge skills, cemented by deep environmental stewardship, that forms a connected ecosystem.
Together, Serengeti Energy’s independent power generation at Boston Hydro, Etana Energy’s wheeling offering and power purchase agreement, Growthpoint’s renewable energy offtake for its commercial properties and Fuel Switch’s digital REC registration have formed a pioneering collaboration advancing South Africa’s renewable energy transition.
Growthpoint sits at the centre of this transparent ecosystem, demonstrating how the property sector can lead the shift toward energy security and sustainability, while unlocking shared value for stakeholders.
Estienne de Klerk, SA CEO of Growthpoint Properties, says: “We are incredibly proud of this
innovative initiative, made possible by a visionary team, dedicated partners such as Etana Energy,
Serengeti Energy, Fuel Switch and many passionate and talented people over a number of years. It not
only benefits the immediate occupants of Growthpoint’s properties but helps to create a brighter and
more sustainable future for South Africa.”
Evan Rice, CEO, of Etana Energy, says: “Growthpoint and Etana’s clean energy partnership is
accelerating renewable energy in a way that works for business, the country and the planet. Together,
we’re making clean electricity accessible through the grid, securing long-term take-off for IPPs and
enabling businesses to cut costs and carbon without complexity. It’s a scalable, transparent model for
South Africa’s energy future.”
Anton-Louis Olivier, CEO, Serengeti Energy, says: “Boston Hydro brings bankable, baseload
renewable power to the grid reliably and around the clock. It’s the product of 15 years of operational
experience across Africa. We’re proud to be the generation backbone of this ground-breaking clean
energy partnership and powering a scalable solution for South African businesses through
Growthpoint’s e-co₂.”
Etana Energy: enabling renewable wheeling at scale, cost efficiently
Etana Energy plays a pivotal role in bringing eco₂ to life for Growthpoint and its tenants. As a licensed electricity trader, Etana provides the platform that allows renewable electricity generated by independent power producers to reach Growthpoint’s buildings through South Africa’s electrical grid.
This is achieved through renewable electricity wheeling – the process that allows electricity users to buy electricity generated by private power projects located elsewhere in the country, like Boston Hydro, using existing transmission and distribution networks. For businesses in office nodes such as Sandton and the Cape Town Foreshore, this is a game-changer. In these areas, where building roof space is extremely limited, on-site solar generation is impractical, if not impossible.
Etana’s integrated trading platform provides a reliable and scalable mechanism for wheeling clean energy, opening access to affordable renewable energy for businesses across the country. Its collaboration with Growthpoint demonstrates how private-sector partnerships can drive meaningful progress towards a low-carbon, energy-secure future for South Africa.
Growthpoint’s long-term commitment to take up 195GWh of clean electricity annually from Etana Energy has already helped to unlock vital capital for the development of new renewable energy infrastructure for South Africa. In addition to the newly developed Boston Hydro plant, wind and solar generation from Etana’s growing renewable portfolio will be added to Growthpoint’s energy mix from 2026 onwards.
Serengeti Energy: powering progress sustainably
At the generation end of the eco₂ collaboration, Serengeti Energy brings deep technical expertise and a proven track record in renewable power development across Africa. The company is the developer, constructor and operator of the Boston Hydro project, a 5MW run-of-river hydropower plant located on the Ash River within the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which is the major water transfer scheme linking Lesotho and Gauteng.
Boston Hydro is the largest of six hydropower facilities along the Ash River and represents Serengeti Energy’s fourth operational hydro plant in South Africa. As a third-generation project of this leading independent power producer, it incorporates insights gained from Serengeti’s nearly 15 years of operating experience across the continent, enhancing system availability, lowering maintenance requirements and improving overall plant performance.
The plant will generate approximately 30GWh of renewable electricity annually, providing reliable 24/7 baseload power to Growthpoint’s eco₂ network through Etana Energy’s wheeling framework. This makes Boston Hydro a cornerstone of Growthpoint’s renewable supply mix.