Reducing energy costs, improving supply certainty and advancing sustainability goals for manufacturers
Dejean Nicholson, Head of Sales at Red Rocket, speaks to Engineering News at PROPAK CAPE 2026 about its GenTrader model, helping manufacturers reduce energy costs, improve electricity supply certainty and advance their sustainability goals. Camerawork and editing: Miko Moodley. Journalist: Katharine McKenzie
As a fully integrated African Independent Power Producer and NERSA-licensed electricity trader with more than 14 years of operating experience, Red Rocket’s end-to-end capabilities are increasingly in demand. Red Rocket head of sales Dejean Nicholson speaks to Engineering News at PROPAK Cape 2026 about its GenTrader model and what it offers to the South African market.
To date Red Rocket has developed, built and operated over 22 000 MW of renewable energy capacity spanning solar, wind and hydro technologies. The company works across project development, financing, construction oversight, asset ownership, operations and licensed electricity trading. This allows it to deliver flexible, utility-scale renewable energy solutions in both regulated and commercial markets.
However, “there is no one-size-fits-all solution, particularly for manufacturing,” says Nicholson. “Our team starts by building a deep understanding of how a business operates, where its energy challenges lie, and what it wants to achieve commercially.” From there, solutions are tailored to address the priorities for the business, whether that is “managing immediate energy costs, improving supply certainty, or advancing sustainability goals,” he notes.
Red Rocket’s GenTrader model uniquely combines electricity generation with electricity trading. While a conventional energy trader buys and sells electricity without necessarily owning the assets that produce it, Red Rocket owns and operates utility-scale wind, solar, and hydro projects, and holds a NERSA electricity trading licence.
This means “cutting out the middleman and leveraging our own infrastructure, so we can pass on significant efficiencies,” says Nicholson. “More predictable power also means greater operating certainty, better business planning, and ultimately, greater agility.”
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