POWERX, South Africa’s first licensed, private electricity trader, has extended its partnership with Manganese Metal Company (MMC), securing the supply of 100% renewable hydroelectric energy to MMC’s new High Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HP MSM) project in Mbombela.
This agreement marks a significant milestone in the global battery materials value chain, as MMC’s new HP MSM facility will be one of the lowest-carbon HP MSM production sites in the world – powered entirely by renewable hydro energy supplied through POWERX.
A Partnership Driving Industrial Decarbonisation
POWERX first signed with MMC in December 2021 and began supplying renewable hydroelectric power in 2022. Since then, MMC has extended the partnership multiple times – most recently committing to a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with POWERX, underscoring the long-term reliability and value of renewable energy in South Africa’s industrial landscape.
As MMC celebrates over 50 years as a trusted global supplier of high-purity, selenium-free manganese products, this collaboration highlights how strategic renewable power integration can transform heavy industry while contributing to the global transition toward sustainable mobility and energy storage.
Thembani Bukula (POWERX CEO, left) and Louis Nel (MMC CEO) shaking hands after signing the PPA.
Enabling the World’s Cleanest Battery Supply Chain
MMC’s new HP MSM plant – currently under construction and commencing production in 2026 – will produce 6,000 tonnes per annum of high-purity manganese sulphate, a critical component in the manufacture of cathode materials for electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage batteries.
By supplying hydroelectric power to this facility, POWERX is directly enabling one of the world’s cleanest and most sustainable battery raw material supply chains, reducing the carbon intensity of manganese sulphate production to a fraction of -the current dominant supply.
“Our mission has always been to enable sustainable industrial growth,” said Thembani Bukula, CEO of POWERX. “Supplying 100% renewable energy to MMC’s new plant is a milestone – not just for POWERX, but for the entire global battery value chain.”
“POWERX’s reliable and clean energy is central to our ambition to produce the world’s -most trusted HP MSM,” added Louis Nel, CEO of MMC. “This sets a new benchmark for environmentally responsible battery material production.”
SA’s Most Experienced Private Energy Trader
With more than a decade of trading experience and a proprietary technology platform that integrates renewable generation with industrial demand, POWERX remains the most experienced private energy trader in South Africa.
Through its growing portfolio of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and renewable wheeling projects, POWERX continues to pioneer mechanisms that make clean energy accessible to large-scale consumers – enabling competitiveness, carbon reduction, and industrial resilience.
Thembani Bukula (POWERX CEO, left) and Louis Nel (MMC CEO) signing the PPA.
Thembani Bukula (POWERX CEO, left) and Louis Nel (MMC CEO) shaking hands after signing the PPA.
About MMC
Founded in 1974, Manganese Metal Company is the world’s only non-Chinese producer of high-purity, selenium-free manganese metal, supplying 28,000 tonnes per annum from its Mbombela facility. MMC is expanding -its offering of battery-grade materials by the addition of a 6,000 tpa HP MSM plant, fully powered by renewable energy, to support the growing demand for sustainable and traceable raw materials in electric mobility and energy storage.
About POWERX
POWERX has been trading electricity in South Africa since 2013 and is the first company to be licensed by NERSA as an independent electricity trader. By aggregating renewable generation and supplying commercial and industrial customers through flexible, bankable wheeling structures, POWERX is leading the transformation of South Africa’s energy market toward sustainability and growth.
With a project pipeline exceeding 650MW of wind and solar to be commissioned over the next 12 to 36 months, POWERX continues expanding its reach in the energy transition. DM
