Grid constraints cast shadow over South Africa’s seventh renewables bid window

South Africa’s grid constraints are continuing to cast a shadow over the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the seventh bidding round for which was launched in December for 3 200 MW of onshore wind and 1 800 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) after months of delay. Independent Power Producer Office head Bernard Magoro told prospective REIPPPP Bid Window Seven (BW7) bidders during a virtual conference on January 17 that the delays were largely attributed to concerns over the availability of grid-connection capacity in the wind- and solar-rich Eastern, Western and Northern Cape provinces.
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Fast-growing ENGIE South Africa will consider grid investments under right conditions

Global independent power company ENGIE, which is prioritising the South African electricity market for significant organic and acquisitive growth, is also open to participating in grid investments should government move to open the market to private sector participation. ENGIE South Africa CEO Mohamed Hoosen tells Engineering News that the bigger group already has significant transmission grid assets globally and has also participated in build, own, operate and transfer projects.
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Busy week for DMRE as it hosts IPP bidders conferences and IRP workshop

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) have a busy week ahead, with three virtual bidders conferences to be hosted over Wednesday and Thursday, and with the department also schedule to host a public workshop on the draft 2023 edition of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2023). The bidders conferences follow the release, on December 14, of three new requests for proposals (RFPs) for the public procurement of 7 615 MW of new generation capacity from wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), gas to power and battery energy storage technologies.
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City of Cape Town issues 500 MW independent power tender

The City of Cape Town has issued the latest in a series of power-related tenders aimed at mitigating the impact of loadshedding and diversifying its energy supply from Eskom. The city says this is in line with its programme of adding independent power to its grid.
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Proposed new IRP met with some skepticism

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the background to the publication for public comment of the latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP); the main changes in the IRP 2023, compared with the IRP 2019; the initial reaction to the new IRP; and the public commentary process.
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World powers ahead with renewables as South Africa’s draft plan signals pullback

While South Africa’s draft electricity plan is signalling a pullback in renewables investments for the period to 2030 relative to the prevailing policy, the rest of the world is powering ahead, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) reporting that 50% more renewables capacity was installed globally in 2023 than in 2022 and with record-breaking growth forecast for the coming five years. In its ‘Renewables 2023’ report, the IEA states that 507 GW of renewable-energy capacity was installed last year increasing the installed base to about 3 600 MW, with solar photovoltaic (PV) accounting for three-quarters of worldwide additions.
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Preferred bidder selected to build and operate Richards Bay LNG terminal

South Africa’s State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has announced that it has selected a public-private consortium as the preferred bidder to develop and operate a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at the Port of Richards Bay’s South Dunes precinct.  The Vopak & TPL Consortium Venture was selected following a bidding process for an entity to design, develop, construct, finance, operate, and maintain the LNG terminal for a period of 25 years.
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No plan yet for public hearings into gas-heavy draft IRP 2023

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has belatedly released the background technical information that has been used to inform the assumptions included in the draft Integrated Resource Plan of 2023 (IRP 2023) and will host two virtual workshops this month to provide greater insight into the plan. However, no formal public hearings are scheduled either ahead of or after the February 23 deadline for the submission of written comments, despite serious and growing concern over the plan’s assumptions and outcomes.
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Sasol’s Mabelane to head board at Eskom’s unbundled grid company, NTCSA

The inaugural board of directors of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), which was announced by the Eskom board on Tuesday, will be chaired by Priscillah Mabelane, who is also the executive VP of Sasol’s energy business. The long-awaited appointment represents as significant milestone in the legal separation of Eskom into three separate entities of generation, distribution and transmission, as outlined in the Department of Public Enterprises’ 2019 ‘Roadmap for Eskom in a reformed electricity supply industry’.
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‘Back to the drawing board’ for govt as Karpowership SA, others lose grid access – Ramokgopa

Government has to “go back to the drawing board” now that Karpowership SA and two other emergency power projects lost their grid access, says Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The minister was speaking on Tuesday at a briefing on the progress of government’s Energy Action Plan.
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