Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme – fourth window, South Africa – update

13th August 2021 By: Sheila Barradas - Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme – fourth window, South Africa – update

Name and Location
Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) – fourth window.

Location
South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Department of Energy (DoE).

Project Description
Twenty-seven REIPPPP project agreements were signed in April 2018.

The preferred bidders include 12 wind farm projects and 12 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.

The wind projects include:

The solar PV projects include:

The list includes the 100 MW Redstone Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project, in the Northern Cape; the 4 MW Kruisvallei mini-hydro project, in the Free State; and the 25 MW Ngodwana Energy biomass project, to be fuelled using waste Sappi wood chips, in Mpumalanga.

Potential Job Creation
The 27 new projects will potentially create 58 000 new jobs.

Capital Expenditure
The successful fourth-round bids are valued at an estimated R56-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The Roggeveld Wind Farm, which was developed by G7 Renewable Energies and then taken over by Building Energy, is expected to be South Africa’s most efficient wind farm. The project started construction in April 2018 and entered commercial operation in April 2021.

Construction of Enel Green Power’s Garob and Oyster Bay wind farm projects started in July 2019. Construction on Soetwater and Karusa started in November 2019. Nxuba Wind Farm started operations in December 2020 and Oyster Bay achieved commercial operation in July 2021. All five wind farms are expected to be operational by the second half of 2021.

Mainstream Renewable Energy’s Kangnas and Perdekraal wind farms started construction in June 2018 and achieved commercial operations in December 2020.

BioTherm Energy’s Excelsior and Golden Valley wind farms started construction in 2018. Excelsior reached commercial operation in December 2020, while Golden Valley reached commercial operation in May 2021. Construction of the Konkoonsies II and Aggeneys solar PV projects started in 2018 and both were commissioned in October 2020.

Solar Capital’s Loeriesfonetin project is under construction.

Construction of EDF Renewables’ Wesley-Ciskei Wind Farm started on September 2019 and commercial operations started in August 2021.

Elawan Energy’s Copperton Wind Farm started construction in late 2018.

Scatec Solar’s Sirius Solar, Dyason’s Klip 1 and Dyason’s Klip 2 solar PV projects were connected to the grid in February 2020 and April 2020 respectively.
 
The De Wildt, Bokamoso, Waterloo, Matla A Bokone Solar, Zeerust and Greefspan 2 solar parks, reached financial close in July 2018. The projects are owned by IDEAS Fund managed by Old Mutual, Reatile Solar Power, Phakwe Solar, African Rainbow Energy & Power and Cicada Community Trust.

Matla A Bokone Solar entered operation in March 2020. Waterloo started operations in November 2020. Zeerust and De Wildt entered commercial operations in January 2021. Greefspan entered operation in April 2021.

Construction on the Ngodwana Energy biomass project started in July 2019.

ACWA Power’s Redstone CSP project is expected to reach commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Red Rocket’s Kruisvallei Hydro project started construction in March 2019 and achieved commercial operation in February 2021.

The planned activities of the above-mentioned projects are subject to Covid-19 developments.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Enel Green Power – Nxuba, Oyster Bay, Garob, Karusa and Soetwater wind farms.

Nordex (wind turbines – Nxuba and Garob wind farms) and Vestas (wind turbines – Karusa and Soetwater wind farms).

BioTherm Energy – Golden Valley and Excelsior wind farms, and Konkoonsies II and Aggeneys solar parks.

Goldwind (engineering, procurement and construction, or EPC, contractor – Excelsior and Golden Valley projects); ET Solutions (EPC contractor – Aggeneys and Konkoonsies II projects); and Besamandla (subcontract for civil and electrical works – Aggenys and Konkoonsies solar parks).

Mainstream Renewable Power – Kangnas and Perdekraal East wind farms.

Concor and Conco (construction contractor – Kangnas and Perdekraal East wind farms); Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (supply and installation of wind turbines – Kangnas and Perdekraal East wind farms).

Sappi Southern Africa, KC Africa and Fusion Energy – Ngodwana Energy biomass project.

ELB Engineering Services, KC Cottrell and the ELB Educational Trust (EPC contractor – Ngodwana Energy biomass project).

Building Energy and G7 Renewable Energies – Roggeveld Wind Farm.

Nordex (wind turbines – Roggeveld).

Scatec Solar – Sirius Solar, Dyason’s Klip 1 and Dyason’s Klip 2 solar PV projects.

EDF Renewables – Wesley-Ciskei Wind Farm.

Vestas (EPC).

Elawan Energy – Copperton Wind Farm.

Nordex (wind turbines – Copperton).

ACWA Power SolarReserve Redstone Solar Thermal Power Plant – Redstone CSP.

Solar Capital – Loeriesfontein solar PV project.

IDEAS Fund managed by Old Mutual, Reatile Solar Power, Phakwe Solar, African Rainbow Energy & Power and Cicada Community Trust – De Wildt, Bokamoso, Waterloo, Matla A Bokone Solar, Zeerust and Greefspan 2 solar parks.

juwi Renewable Energies (EPC and operation and maintenance contracts – Waterloo, Bokamoso and Matla A Bokone solar parks).

Red Rocket – Kruisvallei mini hydro project.

Contact Details for Project Information
DoE departmental spokesperson Thandiwe Maimane, tel +27 12 444 4256, cell +27 82 450 8591, fax +27 86 581 8505 or email MediaDesk@energy.gov.za.