OVERVIEW Energy Beefing
OVERVIEW Energy Beefing up the electricity grid is a priority. SECTOR INSIGHT The Northern Cape is integral to national energy plans Expanding the grid is critical for the future of renewable energy. More than 400 000 solar panel modules will be erected at Mooi Plaats near Noupoort in the southeastern corner of the province in what Trina Solar, one of the project partners, describes as “the largest single PV power plant project in South Africa” with a total capacity of 283MWdc (in other words, at peak conditions). The other two partners in the project, which was announced to the media at the beginning of April 2024, are China Energy International Group and China Gezhouba Group and the project is financed by EDF Renewables, in conjunction with South Africa’s local financial institutions. Power generated from the Mooi Plaats project will be connected to the Koruson substation, 12km away via a 132kV transmission line. The 80MW Noupoort Wind Farm reached commercial operation status in 2016. Grid capacity In less than a decade, an entirely new sector has been created through legislation that invited local and foreign investors to bid for and then build renewable energy generation plants. South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) requires 20 000MW of renewable energy by 2030. However, the latest bid window (Round 6) for the most recent round of the national Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) in December 2022 came up against the fact that the country’s transmission grid can only cope with so much new capacity. As a result, only 860MW of solar capacity was awarded to projects in the North West and Free State provinces. The first project to reach commercial operations from an earlier bid window, Round 4, was the Kangnas Wind Farm, a 140MW project near Springbok. Somewhat delayed by the Covid-19 lockdown, the project ultimately provided 550 jobs when construction work peaked and reached a local content level of 45%. This included the mega-transformer and the windturbine towers. Approximately 60% of the projects so far allocated have been in the nation’s sunniest province. Projects such as Kathu Solar Park, a concentrated solar power project, and the Roggeveld Wind Farm are indicative of the large scale of most of the energy generation that is being rolled out. The Northern Cape is the natural home for the generation of solar power. Long-term annual NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024/25 42 PHOTO: Eskom
Project Background Quiver Green Group (Pty) Ltd is classified as an Ecosystem-based Adaptation business. As a bio-economy sector enterprise it ventures throughout the various value chains of the green economy in South Africa, with a primary focus on the Northern Cape province. BUSINESS FOCUSES ON HARVESTING BIOMASS Firewood Bioenergy generation plant Woodchips Charcoal production Investment value Targeted sectors Primary: Green economy and Bioeconomy Secondary: Includes cross cutting sectors through value adding, ie manufacturing, trade and energy sectors. Contact Details: Quiver Green Group (Pty) Ltd Contact Person: P du Toit Designation: Managing Director Mobile: 078 600 5156 Email: polycarpd@gmail.com
