South Africa has allocated 1850 MW for wind, 1450 MW for solar photovoltaic, 200 MW for concentrated solar power, 75 MW for small hydro, 25 MW for landfill gas and 12,5MW each for biomass and biogas.
The Department of Energy’s independent power producer procurement programme, now under way, will obtain as much as 3,725 MW from renewable energy technologies.
This marks the beginning of the long- awaited procurement programme of independent power and follows the department’s invitation to companies to submit their detailed proposals for the supply of energy generated from renewable energy projects. The department’s request for proposals will guide bids by aspiring renewable energy producers.
In documents that are part of the invitation for bids, the department said new generation capacity was necessary to ensure the continued uninterrupted supply of electricity. It said Energy Minister Dipuo Peters had determined that 3,725 MW from renewable energy sources was required.
The department has allocated 1,850 MW for wind, 1,450 MW for solar photovoltaic, 200 MW for concentrated solar power, 75 MW for small hydro, 25 MW for landfill gas and 12,5 MW each for biomass and biogas. The department has allocated a total of 100 MW for small-scale projects using the different technologies. These projects will have maximum installed capacity of 5 MW.
Mark Tanton, MD of wind development company Red Cap, yesterday said the allocation for renewable energy was a positive development.
Prospective investors have three months to bid under the procurement programme. Red Cap is developing a 300 MW wind farm project in the Kouga area of the Eastern Cape.
"The figure of 1,850 MW for wind power is higher than we anticipated and is a positive indicator for SA’s nascent wind energy industry. This capacity is likely to create significant opportunities for jobs and skills development in rural areas where unemployment is rife. It is also likely to kick-start local manufacturing of materials and components," Kilian Hagemann, a director at G7 Renewable Energies, said.
