Aurecon has recently been appointed to provide engineering services for three projects in the third round of the South African Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
The REIPPPP supports the South African Government’s 2010 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2010) calling for the development of approximately 20 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Sonnedix and Prieska solar PV projects
Juwi and SunPower, the engineering, procurement and construction contractors of both Mulilo Renewable Energy's 75 MW solar Photo Voltaic projects, Sonnedix and Prieska, near Prieska in the Northern Cape, appointed Aurecon for the engineering role with a view to optimise the cost of design for the two projects. Aurecon will provide detailed design services for the substations, grid connections and associated overhead lines for the two projects. “The installations are adjacent to each other and would share certain grid infrastructure,” says Paul Nel, Aurecon Renewable Energy Service Leader. Once the projects reach financial close, currently anticipated for June 2014, construction of the two solar facilities will commence and will be completed towards the end of 2015.
Nojoli Wind farm
Vestas has appointed Aurecon to conduct a detailed geotechnical investigation and preliminary roads design for the Nojoli Wind farm in the Eastern Cape.
“This appointment further builds on a strong partnership that Aurecon has established with Vestas, the world’s largest supplier of wind turbines,” explains Nel.
Other projects that Aurecon is supporting Vestas on, either through direct appointments or through its subcontractors, include the 65 MW Hopefield and 90 MW West Coast wind farms in the Western Cape as well as the 95 MW Tsitsikamma and 60 MW Grassridge projects in the Eastern Cape. The Nojoli project is being developed by the African Infrastructure Investment Management group and funded by Enel, Italy’s largest power company. It is expected to reach financial close in mid-2014 and then construction will commence.
A leader in the renewable energy field, Aurecon now has significant involvement in all three rounds of the REIPPPP projects and is currently fulfilling a number of different roles on projects including solar PV and Concentrated PV, wind and hydro technology.