Kruisvallei Hydro: Clean Power From the Ash River, Reinvested in Free State Communities

Commissioned in February 2021 by independent power producer Red Rocket, the Kruisvallei Hydro plant runs two turbines on the Ash River between Clarens and Bethlehem in the Free State, generating about 24 GWh of renewable electricity a year — enough to power roughly 1,916 households. Construction created more than 714 person-months of local employment, and the plant now channels a share of its operating revenue into socio-economic development in the surrounding Kgubetswana community. That funding has helped create 10 permanent jobs at a local brick-making cooperative, five more at the Fitness Plus gym, and built a safe playground serving over 60 children at the Atlehang Day Care. The scheme draws on water already released downstream by the Lesotho Highlands Water Project without any additional damming, minimising its ecological footprint on the river.