South Africa’s state-owned energy utility, Eskom, has issued a request for proposals for 291MW of solar capacity.
Selected bidders will enter into power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Eskom for the energy generated, with the procured solar capacity scheduled for phased commissioning.
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According to the tender details, proposals will be accepted for 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 25-year PPAs. Only proposals of 10MW or more will be considered for further evaluation.
According to Eskom’s tender criteria, bids will be evaluated based on price (48%), PPA term (32%), and offtake size (20%).
Issued on 11 August, the tender will close on 19 September 2025. An online clarification meeting will be held on 2 September, ahead of the final deadline for electronic application submissions.
According to SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2025-2029, South Africa’s solar PV market grew sustainably in 2024, adding 1GW (14.1% growth) after a 2023 surge driven by severe load shedding. The country currently operates over 8GW of solar capacity across all segments.
By the end of 2024, 6.1GW had been procured under seven Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) bidding rounds, with 2.3GW operational, 375MW under construction, 633MW at financial close, and several hundred MW failing to close. South Africa targets 8.3GW (10.52% of total capacity) of solar PV by 2030.
A report earlier this week from the African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) revealed the continent had passed the symbolic milestone of 20GW of operational PV capacity (Premium subscription).
