Name and Location
Sishen solar photovoltaic (PV) power project, Northern Cape, South Africa.
Client
The project will be ringfenced in a special-purpose vehicle – Windfall 59 Properties (RF).
Acciona Energy South Africa will have a 51% shareholding and Aveng Africa 29%. The Dibeng Trust, established with a local community shareholding and a nonprofit organisation, will each acquire a 10% shareholding at financial close.
Project Description
The project consists of the construction and operation of a solar PV facility, with a total net contracted capacity of 94.3 MWp, in the municipality of Dibeng, in the Northern Cape.
The facility will be constructed on a 250 ha site, 17 km north-west of the town of Kathu, which is known as one of the best irradiation sites worldwide. The facility will use 319 600 crystalline solar panels on 470 single-axis trackers.
The full generation capacity of the plant will be sold to Eskom under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Value
R1.8-billion.
Duration
The Sishen solar PV plant entered into service in November 2014.
Latest Developments
Acciona’s Sishen solar PV plant has reached 100% capacity.
The plant entered service on November 29, 2014, with forecasts that it will generate 216 GWh/y of electricity, enough to supply 100 000 South African households.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Investec Corporate & Institutional Banking and Nedbank (lead arrangers), JinkoSolar (319 600 solar modules), Aveng (development, investment, financing and construction) and Enertis' (independent verification of the electrical and mechanical execution, coordination of the commissioning process, identification of construction defects, setting of communications, liaison for grid compliance tests, and performance of further acceptance tests, such as the thermography of the PV panels, as well as complete quality-control inspection of the PV modules).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Acciona, tel +34 91 663 28 50, fax +34 91 663 28 51 or email comunicacion@acciona.es.
Aveng, tel +27 11 779 2800.
Investec, tel +27 21 416 1000 or +27 21 416 1001.
Nedbank Capital, email nedbankcapital@nedbank.co.za.
JinkoSolar, tel +86 21 60611799 or fax +86 21 68761115.
Enertis, tel +27 21 403 6567 or email info.southafrica@enertis.es.