Two more solar projects from delayed BW5 set to begin construction in early 2024

Two 75-MW apiece solar photovoltaic (PV) projects bid under the much-delayed Bid Window Five (BW5) of South Africa’s public renewables procurement programme have officially advanced to commercial close and will enter construction in early 2024. The projects are Grootspruit, in the Free State, and Graspan, in the Northern Cape, and will be built and operated by ENGIE in partnership with Pele Green Energy.
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Ramohlale Industries, Exxaro Resources mark milestones in Limpopo

Electromechanical engineering company Ramohlale Industries in October launched its new offices and factory facility at the N1 Industrial Park in Polokwane, Limpopo.
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Pioneering 195 MW solar plant to sell clean electricity to multiple customers nationwide

South African independent power producer the SOLA Group has started construction on a pioneering 195 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Free State, which will wheel and sell clean electricity across the country to multiple buyers eager to decarbonised their operations. The R2.8-billion project has already secured an initial three multinational anchor offtakers, but SOLA has reserved a significant portion of the project’s energy for flexible, short-term power purchase agreements with a wide range of customers.
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Eskom, Sasol pollution harms children, government studies find

Two studies ordered by South Africa’s government into the impact of air pollution on community and child health showed emission limits it imposed on companies that emit the toxins are insufficient. The studies were undertaken in key industrial regions by academics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, a state research agency, and were completed in 2016 and 2019, copies seen by Bloomberg show.
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Red Rocket confirms initial 500 MW of interest in 2 000 MW virtual wheeling renewables scheme

Independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket reports that it has signed up customers for 500 MW of the 2 000 MW of capacity it aims to deploy over the coming three years as part of an innovative scheme designed to provide multiple private offtakers with renewable electricity as from 2026. In recent weeks, the company has been running a national advertising campaign inviting potential customers to make contact regarding its intention to sell “affordable, renewable energy to businesses”.
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