At long last the South African renewable energy industry is ready to take off. The South African Department of Energy announced the winning bids from the first round of tenders for renewable energy projects in the margins of COP 17 this morning. 630 MW of wind projects and a similar quantity of solar pv projects plus 150 MW of concentrating solar power projects will start the ball rolling. It is envisaged that a further 2200 MW of renewable projects will be announced over the coming two years.
‘We have lift-off’, said Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General. ‘The South African government is to be congratulated for taking the first step towards putting this country in a position to lead the energy revolution in Africa.’
South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan, adopted in 2010, calls for 8400 MW of wind power over the course of the next 20 years, but assuming that the wind and solar sectors start to take off as expected, those numbers could rise substantially.
“Much of sub-Saharan Africa has tremendous wind and solar potential, a dynamic and growing economy and severe water shortages; perfect conditions to grow a renewable energy industry. We hope that South Africa will be the hub and driver of that development”, continued Sawyer. “Thousands of new high quality jobs and billions in investment based on the development of clean indigenous energy sources will provide a major boost to the fledgling economies in the region.”
All of the winning bidders announced today have six months to reach financial closure. Further details & information can be found on: www.ipp-renewables.co.za
Contact Information:
Lauha Fried, GWEC, Tel: +32 477 364 251 lauha.fried@gwec.net
