Northern Cape Business 2018-19 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE • •

SPECIAL FEATURE • • Selected Northern Cape projects, mentioned in this article. SOLAR PROJECT LEAD COMPANY AT OR NEAR MW Bokpoort CSP ACWA Power Groblershoop 50MW De Aar 1 & 3 Solar Capital De Aar 175MW Jasper ACWA Power/SolarReserve Postmasburg 96MW Kaxu Solar One Abengoa Solar Pofadder 100MW Khi Solar One Abengoa Solar Upington 50MW Lesedi ACWA Power/SolarReserve Postmasburg 75MW Redstone ACWA Power/SolarReserve Postmasburg 100MW Xina Solar One Abengoa Solar Pofadder 100MW WIND PROJECT LEAD COMPANY AT OR NEAR MW Copperton Gestamp Prieska 102MW De Aar Wind Power Longyuan/Mulilo De Aar 100MW De Aar 2 North Longyuan/Mulilo De Aar 140MW Garob Juwi Prieska 140MW Kangnas Mainstream Springbok 140MW Khobab Lekela Power* Loeriesfontein 140MW Loeriesfontein Lekela Power* Loeriesfontein 140MW Noblesfontein Noblesfontein Victoria West 73.8MW Noupoort Mainstream Noupoort 80MW Roggeveld Building Energy Matjiesfontein 147MW * Joint venture between Actis and Mainstream Power. NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19 14

SPECIAL FEATURE Wind turbine components being delivered for the Khobab Wind Farm in the Hantam region. the centre of some of the world’s most advanced technological innovation in concentrated solar power. Saudi Arabian electricity group ACWA Power has won approval for the 100MW Redstone project near Postmasburg and the 50MW Bokpoort CSP plant near Groblershoop has been running since the first quarter of 2016. The Bokpoort site covers an area of about 6 700ha, of which its facilities cover a total area of about 250ha. The Redstone project uses a method called Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage. A dry cooling method also decreases the amount of water used to support the plant. ACWA’s technology partner in Redstone is the American company SolarReserve which holds the CSP tower proprietary rights and is invested in two other (photovoltaic) projects near Postmasburg: Jasper (96MW) and Lesedi (75MW). It has a similar project in the Free State province. SolarReserve is also active in Chile. ACWA wants to develop 5 000MW of renewable energy and conventional power in Southern Africa. This includes bidding for a coal project in Mpumalanga and involvement in South Africa’s natural gas to power programme. The biggest solar farm so far in South Africa was launched in March 2016 when Solar Capital presented its 175MW farm at De Aar. Formerly famous as the railway junction that combined the country’s two rail systems, De Aar is becoming better known as a renewable energy hub. About 200 jobs were created in the construction phase of this R4.8-billion project and 100 people are now employed in running the plant. Solar Capital, which is a subsidiary of the Phelan Energy Group, intends spending on Internet connections, arts training and building a community training centre in De Aar. Wind In the last months of 2017, several wind projects entered the commercial phase, showing what can be done when proper planning and hard work is matched to creative policy-making. In November, the 100MW De Aar Wind Power Project was successfully commissioned for the joint venture comprising Mulilo Renewable Energy and the China Longyuan Power Group Corporation. Debt financing was provided by Nedbank Limited via its Nedbank Capital Division, and the Industrial Development Corporation. In December, two Northern Cape wind farms began commercial operations, on time and on budget. Collectively, the wind farms will provide 280MW and potentially power 240 000 households. Loeriesfontein Wind Farm and Khobab Wind 15 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19