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Bloomberg has reported that South Africa extended its June 30 deadline for wind and solar plant developers to conclude funding arrangements by two weeks. “It’s mainly because of some logistical issues on the government side,” Ompi Aphane, a deputy director general in the Department of Energy, told Bloomberg by mobile phone from Pretoria. “One of those would be the regulatory approvals.”
Aphane cited state-owned utility Eskom Holdings as an example of logistical issues that have led to the extension, noting that the company has to sign contracts to purchase the power generated by the renewable energy plants.
The country’s DOE approved 28 renewable energy projects in its first bidding window last year and 19 in a second round this year. However, the department has not finalized the date on which it plans to open it third bidding series for renewable projects.
