Discovery Green and Sasol launch Ampli Energy to unlock renewable energy access for all South African businesses

Keynotes:

• Discovery Green and Sasol launch Ampli Energy, a market-first, no-fee, no-risk, no-hassle, month-to-month renewable energy product for South African businesses of all sizes.
  
• Ampli Energy pays businesses monthly cashback to replace their electricity consumption with clean, grid-delivered renewable energy.
  
• Delivered through Eskom’s national grid via wheeling, Ampli requires no infrastructure, installations, or long-term contracts. Businesses can cancel anytime with no penalties.
  
• Over 150MW of renewable energy capacity committed, representing a R4 billion capital investment.
  
• The first tranche of clients will receive energy from a portion of the already operational ACED-IDEAS-Reatile Msenge Emoyeni wind farm in the Eastern Cape, where Sasol is the contracted off-taker via a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement. The project is currently feeding power into the national grid.
  
• Early adopters include Nando’s, NetFlorist, Hatfield Motors, Sealand Gear, selected Sasol Garages, and several NGOs, such as Reach for a Dream and Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Hospital.

Johannesburg, 15 May 2025 – Discovery Green, a Discovery Limited business, in partnership with global energy company Sasol, today announced the launch of Ampli Energy – a market-first month-to-month renewable energy product that gives South African businesses of all sizes immediate access to green energy at scale through the national grid.

With monthly savings, no upfront costs, and flexible, penalty-free cancellation, Ampli Energy introduces a no-fee, no-risk, no-hassle solution for businesses looking to cut emissions and electricity costs.

“Renewable energy has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by businesses adopting on-site electricity generation through solar technology,” said Andre Nepgen, Head of Discovery Green. “While this has been beneficial, many businesses lack the capital and land space for on-site installations to meet most of their electricity consumption needs.

Wheeling – where electricity is generated at wind and solar farms in resource-rich parts of the country and delivered to businesses through the national grid – allows businesses to access renewable energy through their existing electricity connection without investing in additional infrastructure. However, securing a long-term PPA and wheeling energy has been limited to large-scale energy users, like mines, with the capital, scale and long-term energy outlook needed to negotiate complex power purchase agreements.

Ampli Energy is changing that. Through simple, month-to-month membership, any business anywhere in the country can now replace the majority of its electricity with renewable energy already flowing through the national grid, reducing carbon emissions without upfront capital requirements, installations or long-term contracts. In fact, Ampli Energy pays businesses to run on renewable energy, with monthly cashback paid directly into their bank accounts, and they can cancel at any time with just 30 days' notice without penalty.

Since launching in 2023, Discovery Green has continued to grow its renewable energy product offering through its wheeling platform, enabling blue-chip clients such as Implats, Fortress and Balwin Properties to access price-certain clean energy at scale.

“Ampli Energy builds on the innovative wheeling platform of Discovery Green to further unlock access to renewable energy for businesses that need it most – from corporates to SMMEs and NGOs, that have historically been excluded from South Africa’s energy market due to their size, allowing them also to reap the financial and environmental benefits of decarbonising their operations,” said Nepgen. “These businesses cannot commit to long-term purchasing agreements, so month-to-month flexibility is critical.”

With over seven decades of expertise in energy production, Sasol has consistently driven innovation in energy generation and brings this experience to the partnership.

Last year, the ACED-IDEAS-Reatile Msenge Emoyeni Wind Farm (Msenge) reached commercial operation. This is the first large-scale renewable energy project from which Sasol has secured long-term offtake. Located in Bedford, Eastern Cape, the 69MW wind farm is one of the fastest constructed renewable energy projects by the IPP consortium consisting of African Clean Energy Developments (ACED), which is African Infrastructure Investment Managers’ (AIIM) development and delivery platform, the AIIM-managed IDEAS Fund and the Reatile Group. It is already supplying electrons wheeled through the national grid to Sasolburg Operations in the Free State.

Together, Discovery Green and Sasol have committed over 450MWh per annum of renewable energy generation capacity – representing a R1.8 billion to R2.5 billion investment – to Ampli Energy, which will be delivered to businesses in tranches.

“The launch of Ampli marks a strategic shift where Sasol moves beyond being a major energy consumer to an aggregator and trader of renewable electrons. South Africa is blessed with some of the world's finest wind and solar resources. This will allow us to increase our renewable energy ambitions by enabling the sale of excess energy to a broad customer base. This is a win for the country because it not only accelerates the energy transition but creates access for smaller customers to green electrons,” said Sarushen Pillay, Executive Vice President of Sasol’s Business Building, Strategy and Technology.

“As Sasol, we bring a massive anchor demand for green electrons in our existing operations, and we have deep experience as the largest private generator and user of electricity in South Africa. Through our fleet of existing gas-to-power and coal-based assets, we have been buying and selling electricity for decades,” explained Pillay.

Adrian Gore, Discovery Group Chief Executive, said: “The launch of Ampli Energy is a powerful combination of Discovery Green’s wheeling expertise and Sasol’s experience as a global energy leader and trailblazer in South Africa’s renewable energy industry. The partnership demonstrates how innovation can enable inclusivity and, in doing so, benefit businesses, the economy and the environment.

“The potential for job creation and direct capital investment that could be unlocked by enabling renewable energy wheeling for small and medium-sized businesses is astounding. It affirms our belief that renewable energy is not just an environmental imperative, but a catalyst for economic growth, particularly for small businesses. By reducing energy costs and fostering innovation, it empowers these enterprises to thrive, creating jobs and stimulating local economies across South Africa.”

Sasol President and CEO Simon Baloyi said the launch of Ampli Energy marks the beginning of a new model for delivering green power to a wider market, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the engine of our economy.

“Through Ampli Energy, businesses that previously lacked the capital or capacity to invest in renewable infrastructure can now access clean energy through wheeling arrangements. This is how we grow South Africa’s renewable capacity from the ground up – by making green electrons available to more users and by supporting the creation of a flexible, scalable renewable power market,” said Baloyi.

“With significant shovel-ready renewable energy projects across the country, we have a real opportunity to unlock large-scale generation that can serve as an economic, environmental, and social inflexion point,” he added.

Ampli Energy represents a significant step toward realising this potential and bringing South Africa closer to a more inclusive and sustainable energy future.

The first tranche of renewable energy capacity is fully subscribed, with a growing number of businesses, including Nando’s, NetFlorist, Hatfield Motors, Sealand Gear, selected Sasol Garages, and several NGOs, such as Reach for a Dream and Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Hospital, signing up. These businesses are drawn by the simplicity of the model and its environmental impact. The next tranche of Ampli Energy will open up soon. Potential businesses can reserve their spot on the Ampli portal by following this link.

“Ampli Energy is revolutionary. It represents a sea change in green energy and illustrates what can be achieved when two of South Africa’s marquee brands come together. We must ensure we unshackle the potential of the economy by addressing energy security, democratising access to green electrons and achieving environmental sustainability. Ampli can help us maintain our responsibility to the South African economy and consumers to provide energy that is clean, available, and affordable,” said Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

Follow the link or scan the QR code to reserve your spot.

Ampli Launch video _media