Challenge
The main river pump station is the heartbeat of this entire farming operation. Drawing water from the Orange River year-round to support crop irrigation.

But it comes at a cost.

Electricity is one of the farm’s largest expenses, raising critical questions:
Is the system running as efficiently as it should, and where is the money actually going?

Without visibility into system performance, it is impossible to answer these questions.

What we found
HolmStone conducted a detailed pump station analysis, measuring how the system behaves under different operating conditions. The data revealed the system has a sweet spot, and it wasn’t consistently used.

Running too many pumps simultaneously increased energy consumption without meaningful gains in output. 

Additionally, Pumping at the wrong times of day significantly increased the cost per kiloliter pumped.

For the first time, the true cost of every pumping decision was visible, measurable, and actionable.

Solution
With a clear understanding of the system, HolmStone developed a practical roadmap. This included aligning pump operation with demand and Eskom tariff structures, integrating solar for baseline supply, and identifying key upgrades to remove system bottlenecks.

Result
By turning data into action, this operation has clear visibility into how their system performs and where costs are created.

With defined operating conditions and a clear optimisation roadmap, the farm can now pump more efficiently, reduce energy waste, and make better day-to-day decisions.