BREAKING GROUND Crowie Concessions chairperson Rowan Crowie, Kheis municipality mayor Paul Vries and ACWA Power chairperson Mohammed Abunayyan
Construction of the independent greenfield solar power project – the Bokpoort plant – started last month. The facility will be a 50 MW plant, enough to power about 21 000 homes in Upington, in the Northern Cape.
Engineering procurement and construction (EPC) partner Crowie Concessions was selected by an ACWA Power-led consortium to bring the R5-billion concentrated solar power (CSP) plant to fruition. Crowie will work alongside a CSP EPC Spanish consortium in taking responsibility for the implementation of the project.
The project forms part of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and is scheduled for commercial operation in 2015.
It will save about 230 000 t of carbon emissions each year and provide local socio-economic development opportunities such as job creation.
Crowie expects to employ about 660 people during construction, with a permanent staff complement of 50 people to undertake operations and maintenance, a third of whom will be highly skilled, with the balance comprising artisans and unskilled workers from the local communities.