A major energy infrastructure project is taking shape at the Durban port, with a consortium of international heavyweights proposing to construct an 1,800 megawatt combined-cycle gas-fired power station alongside a dedicated liquefied natural gas import facility on South Africa’s east coast.
The project which is a partnership between Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, Vitol unitVivo Energy, which merged with Engen in 2024 and terminal operator VTTI received Strategic Integrated Project status from the South African government in September 2025, a designation that signals both official backing and an expedited approvals pathway.
Regasified LNG from the facility will be distributed through the Lilly gas pipeline connecting Secunda to Durban, supplemented by LNG trucking to off-grid industrial and mining operations and LNG bunkering for shipping. For a country still navigating the energy transition whilst managing grid reliability challenges, the project represents a significant bet on gas as a bridging fuel and Durban as the infrastructure hub through which that transition flows.
