The 86 MW solar PV plant near Prieska in the Northern Cape
The 86 MW Mulilo-Sonnedix-Prieska solar photovoltaic (PV) project, in the Northern Cape, has officially started operating commercially, following 17 months of construction.
The R1.3-billion project, which is located on a 125 ha site 50 km south-west of Prieska, comprises 275 000 PV modules, connected by 990 km of cable. It officially entered commercial operation on July 22.
The project was selected following the third bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and has been developed by Sonnedix and Mulilo Renewable Energy in partnership with Ixowave Women in Power.
The project was built by juwi Renewable Energies and Sonnedix will manage ongoing operations over the next 20 years.
The plant is also Sonnedix’s first in South Africa and the biggest in its 200 MW fleet, which also includes plants in Italy, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, Thailand, Chile and Japan.