Decentral Energy is seeing strong demand for gas engine generators as businesses across South Africa look for clean, reliable, baseload energy that is not dependent on the grid.
Our operations and maintenance (O&M) services for gas engines are expanding rapidly, as more clients seek solutions that deliver both resilience and emissions reduction.
Reciprocating gas engines emit roughly one third the carbon of Eskom’s grid electricity per unit of energy produced. But even more importantly, in many parts of the country they’re more reliable than the grid itself. For businesses that can’t afford outages - or need to expand operations but can’t secure more capacity from Eskom or their local municipality - gas engines provide a flexible and dependable alternative.
We now have 6.7MW of gas engine generation in operation, with another 2.1 MW on the way by the end of 2025
1.1 MW operating off compressed natural gas in Rosslyn, Pretoria, with orders placed to expand to 3.1 MW
1.2 MW in City Deep, Johannesburg, running continuously on piped natural gas
2.2 MW in Centurion, operating as standby and for 8 hours a week of peak demand shaving
2.2 MW in Bronkhorstspruit, fuelled by biogas, due to increase by a further 1.1 MW
All of these gas engines can be configured to run on piped natural gas, compressed natural gas, biogas or LPG, depending on what’s most available and affordable at site. While not all engines in our fleet are Guascor, Decentral is an authorised local agent for Guascor gas engines for new engine installations.
Gas engines outperform diesel generators on both carbon and cost. The key is runtime: these precision-engineered machines are designed for long runtime, sustained operation. Once they’re running more than 1,300 hours per year, they beat diesel gensets on a total cost of energy basis.
They’re an excellent fit for seasonal operations like the fast-growing citrus industry, where the local grid is already maxed out but high-energy processes like cooling and packing are only needed five to six months a year. In these cases, solar and batteries help - but a gas engine closes the gap.
“Alternatively, any application that is highly seasonal and where Eskom’s new increased fixed costs are hurting,” says Louis Moll of Decentral Energy. “Gas engines can be part of the solution to freeing businesses from an unreliable and expensive grid - especially when the demand is seasonal, but the fixed costs are there all year.”
For carbon-sensitive businesses - especially exporters with low-carbon commitments - a hybrid system of solar, battery and gas engines is vastly superior to grid reliance. We’re seeing real momentum across the country, and we’re proud to be supporting more clients with critical energy when and where they need it.
You can read more about Decentral Energy’s energy gas engine solutions here.
