South Africa has signed project agreements with additional two preferred bidders appointed under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP), in Pretoria for two hybrid projects.
The two projects of ZAR14.6 billion and 203 MW capacity, consist of a combination of solar photovoltaic (PV), onshore wind, and batter energy storage system (BESS) technologies. These are, the Oya Energy Hybrid Facility to be developed by GDF International SA, G7 Power, Meadows Oya Energy, and Perpetua RMI4P Oya in Matjiesfontein, Western Cape, with a contracted capacity of 128 MW; and the Umoyilanga Energy project to be developed by EDF Renewables and Perpetua Holdings in Avondale, Northern Cape and Dassiesridge, Eastern Cape, with a contracted capacity of 75 MW. The Oya Energy facility will have 90 MW wind and 155 MW solar PV projects, coupled with 88 MWh/ 242 MWh BESS systems. To have 75 MW of contracted capacity, the Umoyilanga project will have 115 MW of solar PV and 30 MW of BESS systems in Northern Cape, and 63 MW of wind and 45 MW of BESS systems in Eastern Cape. The projects will have up to December 2023 to finalise conditions precedent to concluding financial closure and beginning project construction. The new generation capacity is expected to be online from 2025 onwards. This brings the total number of projects that have signed agreements under the RMIPPPP to five out of the 11 preferred bidders appointed in 2021, which will add a total of 353 MW of dispatchable capacity to the national grid. The first three RMIPPPP projects that signed agreements in June 2022 are currently in construction, and are set to reach commercial operation in November 2023.