South African renewables developer Pele Green Energy and French firm Engie have inaugurated a 75MW solar PV project in the Northern Cape region.
The Graspan project was developed by Pele and Engie South Africa and began operations earlier this year, while the inauguration finally took place last week.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The project was awarded as part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) scheme, the government-backed programme to provide offtake agreements for renewable energy projects. Graspan was announced in Bid Window 5 of the REIPPPP programme.
“These projects demonstrate what matters most in the current environment, which is execution,” said Sanjeev Mungroo, managing director: renewables and batteries at Engie South Africa. “Graspan is an operating asset contributing power to the grid today. That is critical as South Africa works to close its supply gap and build a more resilient electricity system.”
South Africa is well known for its grid instability, which has pushed the national grid operator, Eskom, to institute “load-shedding”, or planned blackouts, reportedly to manage demand and supply.
The country has set fairly ambitious targets for new renewable energy capacity development – the minister of electricity and energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, announced plans to add almost 29GW of new solar PV capacity across South Africa by 2039, alongside 35GW of wind power capacity. More recently, the government approved the South African Renewable Energy Master Plan (SAREM), which will aim to add up to 5GW of new renewable energy capacity each year.
In an announcement, Pele Green Energy said: “Beyond its immediate contribution to supply, Graspan forms part of a wider shift in how energy infrastructure is delivered in South Africa. As more renewable capacity comes online, projects like Graspan play a stabilising role within a diversified generation portfolio, complementing other technologies and reducing reliance on a single electricity source.”
Pele has developed over 2GW of renewable energy capacity across South Africa, notably the 100MW Sonvanger solar plant, which it is developing on behalf of mining giant Glencore. That site is being built by EPC contractor JUWI Renewable Energies using modules from Chinese solar manufacturing giant JA Solar.
