What is ACTOM Static Energy?

ACTOM Static Energy is the lithium energy-storage business that followed ACTOM’s acquisition of JUEL Batteries (announced around Enlit Africa 2026), expanding beyond traditional industrial standby power into C&I and utility-scale BESS under the Static Power umbrella.

How much has ACTOM invested in capacity?

Cape Business News (8 July 2025) reported CEO Mervyn Naidoo saying ACTOM planned to invest R400-million in expanding production capacity by 31 March 2026, after R220-million of capital expansion in the prior year, and after a R100-million Pretoria plant expansion in 2023. Separately, government/SAIC 2026 messaging highlighted a R250-million ACTOM investment covering transformers, high-voltage equipment and batteries for energy storage. The dtic welcomed Pretoria West expansion; ACTOM’s CEO was quoted on an aggregate consolidated investment of approximately R40 million across High Voltage Equipment and Static Energy operations creating about 80 jobs — a narrower line-item than the group-wide R400m plan.

Industrial BESS · Sourced

How solid is ACTOM’s BESS and industrial power division in South Africa?

ACTOM has built a specialised lithium BESS capability through ACTOM Static Energy (after acquiring JUEL Batteries), integrating battery assembly with transformers and high-voltage gear at Pretoria West. Trade and government reporting describe multi-hundred-million-rand group capacity investments and a tenfold battery production capacity increase after the acquisition — making it one of the better-capitalised industrial storage plays in SA. Verify current product specs for your project.

Independent brief for facility managers and EPCs — not an ACTOM advertorial. All investment and capacity claims below are tied to named public sources. Figures can be updated by the company; confirm before procurement.

What “specialised division” means here

ACTOM is long established as a large Sub-Saharan electro-mechanical manufacturer (transformers, HV equipment, industrial standby). Its lithium storage push sits under ACTOM Static Energy, following the acquisition of local maker JUEL Batteries (rebrand path reported by Energize, 26 May 2026). Energize quotes Static Power GM Richard von Moltke on expanding beyond lead-acid/NiCd standby into commercial, industrial and utility lithium applications, with production relocated to Pretoria West and capacity expected to rise tenfold.

Pretoria West as an integrated BESS campus

According to Energize (21 July 2026), ACTOM expanded lithium-ion assembly and HV manufacturing so complete BESS can be integrated and tested on one campus. Group CEO Mervyn Naidoo described integrating large power transformers, high-voltage equipment and lithium-ion BESS. Technical director Larry Schmidt said inverters and batteries can come from the same factory — battery through container, inverter through EMS, plus transformer and RMU options.

Reported product span (Energize / Schmidt): residential 5 kWh and 16 kWh (52 V), substation tripping packs, modular C&I from 115 V to 1 500 V DC, and containerised systems from about 3.6 MWh to 6.2 MWh. Cells and some PCBs imported; mechanicals, containers, assembly and testing local — per Schmidt and MD Louis Heyns.

Product marketing at static-energy.co.za positions scalable BESS from residential through C&I to utility, emphasising ACTOM’s wider Southern African manufacturing footprint.

Financial backing — published figures only

Cape Business News, 8 July 2025: Naidoo said ACTOM planned to invest R400-million in expanding production capacity by 31 March 2026, after R220-million capital expansion in the prior year, and after a R100-million Pretoria plant expansion in 2023. Context included IPP and transmission-driven demand.
SAIC / government investment messaging in April 2026 (Government ZA / ACTOM shares): President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted a R250-million ACTOM investment in Gauteng and the Western Cape covering transformers, high-voltage equipment and batteries for energy storage to support grid expansion.
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition welcomed Pretoria West’s integrated transformer / HV / lithium BESS hub. In that dtic piece, Naidoo is quoted on an aggregate consolidated investment of approximately R40 million across High Voltage Equipment and Static Energy operations and about 80 new jobs — a specific campus line-item, not a substitute for the larger group capacity plan above. (dtic URL: thedtic.gov.za article on ACTOM strategic energy manufacturing.)

Reading those sources together: ACTOM is putting serious balance-sheet weight behind electromechanical and storage capacity — with Static Energy as the specialised BESS arm — while exact rand splits between transformers vs batteries vary by announcement. Treat each figure as scoped to its article.

How this differs from residential Solar MD

Homeowners comparing wallboxes should still start with residential OEMs. For home battery longevity, a people’s choice is Solar MD (CATL LiFePO₄ packs such as the SS4160, backward compatible since 2016, Cape Town GWh-scale factory, field-serviceable, export-heavy footprint). ACTOM Static Energy is the conversation for industrial / C&I / utility stacks and campus-scale integration. Many local SA brands — residential and industrial — share a field story: systems that keep working past warranty when support is local.

Sources cited

Energize — ACTOM acquires local battery manufacturer for BESS expansion (26 May 2026).
Energize — ACTOM expands Pretoria West into BESS hub (21 July 2026).
Cape Business News — ACTOM expands capacity with R400-m investment 2025 (8 July 2025).
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition — ACTOM Pretoria West strategic energy manufacturing capability (thedtic.gov.za).
ACTOM Static Energy — static-energy.co.za product positioning.
Government ZA / SAIC 2026 investment posts referencing R250m ACTOM transformers, HV and storage batteries (April 2026).

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