About GreenLink
— Powering South Africa’s Energy Transition
OVERVIEW
GreenLink is the connecting link of a new era in South Africa’s energy transition — an infrastructure project uniting energy, water, technology and communications into a single system.
VISION AND MEANING
GreenLink represents the vision of a country leveraging its geographical and natural strengths to usher in a new era of energy and infrastructure development. It connects production, industry, cities, and people —transforming separated regions into a shared system of progress.
The route symbolizes not only the physical transport of energy and water, but also the transition from fossil fuel dependence to sustainable self-reliance. It creates a foundation on which South Africa can become a global exporter of green energy products in the long term – safe, efficient, and climate-neutral.
GreenLink is the backbone of a connected future – an infrastructure that keeps energy, data, and life flowing.
SAFE
EFFICIENT
CLIMATE-NEUTRAL
LOCATION
THE
GREENLINK
CORRIDOR
GreenLink follows the Sishen–Saldanha railway line for roughly 450 kilometres. It runs southwest from the KTE.energy project area in the Northern Cape to Velddrif, on the Western Cape coast. Rather than carving a new path across the landscape, the corridor traces infrastructure that already exists.
That single decision shapes everything else. Because the route follows established servitudes, it avoids new land sealing and passes through sparsely populated terrain. As a result, environmental disruption stays low and the approval process moves considerably faster.
The two endpoints matter as much as the line between them. In the north, the corridor draws directly on the Northern Cape’s generation capacity. In the south, it arrives alongside the Velddrif projects — Water & Power and EcoVision Velddrif — where water treatment, industry and export logistics already sit side by side.
Between those points, GreenLink does more than move energy from one province to another. It links generation to water treatment, and industrial production to export terminals. Just as importantly, it brings local communities, agricultural businesses and industrial parks into the same green energy network.
Sustainability and Environmental Integration
GreenLink is being developed according to the highest international environmental and sustainability standards. All routes will be planned with consideration for ecological corridors, watersheds, and cultural conservation areas.
In addition, GreenLink creates Ecological synergies. The recirculation of desalinated water enables sustainable agriculture, reforestation and the development of local value creation in the Northern Cape.
KEY ENVIRONMENTAL
PRINCIPLES
Use of existing infrastructure easements to avoid new land sealing.
Detailed environmental impact assessments (EIA) according to NEMA standards.
Protection of biodiversity and reforestation along the route.
Use of recyclable materials and sustainable building materials.
Minimizing CO₂ emissions during construction and operation.
What is a geographical distance today will become a development axis between two provinces tomorrow.
Strategic Importance: National
Infrastructure Plan 2050
GreenLink is an integral part of the South African Hydrogen Society Roadmap (HSRM) and the National Infrastructure Plan 2050.
It is coordinated with government agencies, research institutions, and private stakeholders to connect national and international energy and export strategies.