Name and Location
Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) – third window, nationwide, South Africa.

Client
Department of Energy (DoE).

Project Description
Seventeen renewable-energy developers have been appointed as preferred bidders, following the conclusion of bid submissions for the third round of the REIPPPP.

The wind projects listed include:

• Gibson Bay Wind Farm (111 MW)
• Longyuan Mulilo De Aar Maanhaarberg Wind Energy Facility (96 MW)
• Longyuan Mulilo De Aar 2 North Wind Energy Facility (139 MW)
• Nojoli Wind Farm (87 MW)
• Khobab Wind Farm (138 MW)
• Noupoort Mainstream Wind (79 MW)
• Loeriesfontein 2 Wind Farm (138 MW).

The wind projects collectively represent 787 MW of capacity.

The solar photovoltaic (PV) projects named are:

• Tom Burke solar park (66 MW)
• Pulida solar park (75 MW)
• Mulilo Sonnedix Prieska solar PV (75 MW)
• Mulilo Prieska solar PV (75 MW)
• Adams solar PV 2 (75 MW)
• Paleisheuwel (82.5 MW).

The combined capacity of the solar PV projects that progressed to the preferred-bidder stage was 435 MW.

The preferred concentrated solar power (CSP) bidders include Abengoa, with its Xina parabolic trough CSP South Africa (100 MW), the joint venture (JV) FG Emvelo’s Karoshoek project and Cobra Energia (100 MW).

One landfill gas bidder, the Johannesburg landfill gas-to-electricity project, with a capacity of 18 MW; and one biomass bidder, the Mkuze biomass project, with a capacity of 16 MW, were also named.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Ongoing.

Latest Developments
Wind projects
The power purchase agreement (PPA) addendum for Red Cap’s 111 MW 37-turbine Gibson Bay Wind Farm was signed in February 2015.  This is the final step in the financial close process between government and the project.

Thd Longyuan Mulilo De Aar Maanhaarberg (96 MW) and Longyuan Mulilo De Aar 2 North (139 MW) wind energy facilities will be developed by China Longyuan Power, Mulilo Renewable Energy and Black Community Company. The two projects will feature 67 and 96 wind turbines of 1.5 MW each respectively, produced by Guodian United Power.

The 87 MW Nojoli Wind Farm, located in the Eastern Cape, is being developed by the African Infrastructure Investment Management group and being funded by Enel, Italy’s largest power company. The project is expected to be completed by June 2016.

Mainstream Renewable Power ‘s 140 MW Khobab Wind Farm, 140 MW Loeriesfontein 2 project and the 80 MW Noupoort development, all located in the Northern Cape, reached financial close in February 2015. The projects represent an investment of about R9-billion and were expected to start construction in February 2015.

Solar projects
Enel Green Power (EGP) is developing the 66 MW Tom Burke, 82.5 MW Paleisheuwel, 75 MW Pulida solar park and 82.5 MW Adams solar PV 2 projects, located in the Western Cape, the Free State, Limpopo and the Northern Cape provinces respectively. The plants, which will be equipped with thin-film modules are expected to be completed in 2016.

Sonnedix has contracted juwi Renewable Energies to build the Mulilo Sonnedix Prieska PV solar park, in the Northern Cape. The PV power plant has a total generation capacity of 86 MW. Financial close was achieved on December 11, 2014. The start of construction is scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.

The Mullilo Prieska PV solar project will break ground in March this year. The project will use SunPower’s monocrystalline modules, assembled at its Cape Town factory, mounted on a single-axis tracking system

CSP projects
Abengoa, with its partners the Industrial Development Corporation, the Government Employees Pension Fund, represented by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), and Kaxu Community Trust, signed the PPA and secured the financing of Xina Solar One CSP project, in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, in December 2014. The 100 MW plant features parabolic trough technology with a five-hour thermal energy storage system using molten salts.
FG Emvelo, a JV between FG.de, a German group of companies and Emvelo Projects, a pan-African company, are developing the 100 MW Karoshoek CSP project, in the Northern Cape. The CSP plant will use boilers for direct steam generation based on linear Fresnel technology.

The Mkuze biomass project, with a capacity of 16 MW, being developed by Navosync, is expected to be completed by September 2016. The facility will burn sugar cane tops and trash to generate high-quality baseload power and will take more than R1-billion to implement.

Ener-G is constructing the 18 MW Johannesburg landfill gas-to-electricity project, which is expected to be completed in 2015.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Futuregrowth, Enel, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), Enel Green Power, Abengoa, Cobra Energia, Guodian United Power, Aurora Power Solutions, juwi Renewable Energies, Total SA, Mulilo Renewable Energy, Ener-G, Red Cap, Mainstream Renewable Power, African Clean Energy Developments, FG Emvelo and Navosync.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
DoE departmental spokesperson Thandiwe Maimane, tel +27 12 444 4256, cell +27 82 450 8591, fax +27 86 581 8505 or email MediaDesk@energy.gov.za.
Mainstream Renewable Power, Emmet Curley, tel +353 1 290 2027 or email emmet.curley@mainstreamrp.com.
Futuregrowth, tel  +27 21 659 5300, fax +27 21 659 5333 or email  info@futuregrowth.co.za.
Enel Green Power international press officer Roberta Vivenzio, tel +39 06 8305 1, fax +39 06 8305 3771 or email roberta.vivenzio@enel.com.
Abengoa communications department Patricia Malo de Molina Meléndez, tel +34 954 93 71 11 or email communication@abengoa.com.
Cobra Energia, tel +91 456 95 00, fax +91 456 94 50 or email central@grupocobra.com.
Mulilo Renewable Energy, tel +27 21 934 5268, fax +27 21 935 0505 or email info@mulilo.com.
RMB, tel +27 11 282 8000, fax +27 11 282 8008 or email info@rmb.co.za.
Aurora Power Solutions, tel +27 21 421 9764, fax +27 865 138 648 or email info@apsolutions.co.za.
FG.de, tel +49 941 200009 0, fax +49 941 200009 99 or email info@fg.de.
Emvelo, tel +27 11 523 6299, fax +27 11 784 0285 or email admin@emvelo.co.za.
ABB Power Products and Systems head of communications Harmeet Bawa, tel +41 43 317 6480, fax +41 43 317 6482 or email harmeet.bawa@ch.abb.com.
Building Energy Development Africa, tel +27 11 887 4364.