South Africa: 800 MW offshore wind project delayed

Acer (Africa) Environmental Consultants, responsible for the assessment, announced on Thursday, September 17, 2026, that the environmental authorization request was withdrawn in 2025. Its CEO, Dieter Heinsohn, explained to Reuters that this withdrawal was due to a technical redesign of the turbine layout and not an environmental issue.

Launched in 2022, Gagasi is being developed by GenesisHexicon, a joint venture between Swedish firm Hexicon and South Africa’s Genesis Eco-Energy Developments. The project is planned off the coast of Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, with an announced capacity of approximately 800 MW.

The project page published by GenesisHexicon still presents it as an offshore wind installation intended to supply households and businesses in the region. The developer locates the site in deep waters off Richards Bay.

The delay comes as the World Bank has just released a framework for developing offshore wind energy in South Africa. This study estimates the exploitable potential in selected coastal areas at around 95 GW, primarily using floating technologies.

According to estimates cited by the World Bank, large-scale deployment of offshore wind could generate $6.7 billion in wages within the South African economy by 2050 and reduce CO2 emissions related to electricity production by 530 million tons over the next twenty-five years.

Acer stated that it is unaware of the current status of the project following the withdrawal of the request. Genesis Eco-Energy told Reuters that an update on Gagasi would be provided in October 2026.