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

Client
Department of Energy (DoE).

Project Description
The DoE has announced 19 companies as preferred bidders during the second window of the REIPPP, which closed on March 5. The 19 projects represent 1 043.9 MW of capacity.

The preferred bidders include nine solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, seven onshore wind projects, two small hydropower projects and one concentrated solar power (CSP) project.

The solar PV projects named are:
• Solar Capita De Aar 3 (75 MW)
• Sishen solar facility (74 MW)
• Aurora (9 MW)
• Vredendal (8.8 MW)
• Linde (36.8 MW)
• Dreunberg (69.6 MW)
• Jasper Power Company (75 MW)
• Boshoo solar park (60 MW)
• Upington solar PV (8.9 MW)

The combined capacity of the solar PV projects that progressed to the preferred-bidder stage was 417.1 MW.

The wind projects listed include:
• Gouda wind facility (135.2 MW)
• Amakhala Emoyeni (Phase 1), Eastern Cape (137.9 MW)
• Tsitsikamma community wind farm (94.8 MW)
• West Coast 1 (90.8 MW)
• Waainek (23.4 MW)
• Grassridge (59.8 MW)
• Chaba (20.6 MW)

The wind projects collectively represent 562.5 MW of capacity.

The preferred small hydropower bidders include Stortemelk Hydro (4.3 MW) and Neusberg hydroelectric project A (10 MW) for a combined 14.3 MW.

The one CSP project named was the 50 MW Bokpoort CSP project.

Value
The second-round projects are collectively valued at nearly R28-billion.

Duration
Financial close for the 19 second-round preferred bidders, initially set for December 2012, is now expected to take place between March 18 and 28, 2013.

Latest Developments
A new third-window submission date of May 7, 2013, has been confirmed by the DoE; with the previous deadline was October 1, 2012.

The DoE has confirmed that the first 28 preferred bidders selected under South Africa’s REIPPP have again been formally requested to extend the validity of their bids to enable government to tie some final loose ends before signing off on the projects.

Under the original schedule, the projects, which were named by Energy Minister Dipuo Peters in December, were expected to reach financial closure by mid-June. However, the process has been delayed to enable government to finalise a support framework for Eskom, which will purchase the power produced by the wind and solar developers.

Initially, bidders were requested to extend the validity of their bids until the end of September, but they have received a subsequent request to extend the validity to the end of October. Bidders had until the close of business on September 28 to indicate that they have accepted the schedule change.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Suzlon Energy (wind turbines) and Vestas (wind turbines).

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Cennergi CEO Thomas Garner, tel +27 12 675 6669 or email Thomas.Garner@cennergi.com.
Windlab Developments South Africa, tel +27 21 701 1292 or +27 87 802 5999; or fax (within South Africa) 0800 981 222.
Suzlon Energy investor relations, Dhaval Vakil, tel +91 22 6639 3252 or email dhaval.vakil@suzlon.com.
Vestas, tel +45 97 30 00 00.
EDF Energies Nouvelles, tel +33 1 40 90 23 00 or fax +33 1 40 90 23 66.