SunEdison, a Renewable energy development company has been selected as the preffered bidder for 13 projects in the fourth round of Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
This will help in the addition of 371MW of electricity to the local grid through 5 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. The five solar plants are located in the Northern Cape and North West of South Africa and will produce enough energy to cater for more than 200 000 homes in the country.
Power from the solar power plant will be purchased by Eskom in a 20 year agreement.
According to SunEdison Asia Pacific President, Pahupathy Gopalan, the company has been successful in delivering reliable and affordable solar power to South Africa. In addition, the project sites were selected on the basis that they strengthen the Eskom grid and benefit various communities.
The five projects will also help offer skill development, local enterprise development and create procurement programmes.
Upon completion of the construction, SunEdison will take up operation and 24/7 maintenance of the power plant which will include monitoring and reporting services.
SunEdison won six solar power projects worth 130MW in South Africa under the Fourth round of REIPPPP.
