Name of the Project
Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) – Bid Window (BW) 6.

Location
Bids have been submitted across the Eastern Cape, the Free State, Limpopo, the Northern Cape, the North West and the Western Cape provinces of South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).

Project Description
The DMRE invited interested parties on April 6, 2022, to register prospective bids under REIPPPP – BW 6.

BW 6 initially had an allocation of 2 600 MW, but this was subsequently increased to 4 200 MW as part of measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2022 to tackle loadshedding.

In October 2022, the DMRE announced that 56 wind and solar PV projects had been submitted by prospective bidders under BW 6 across the Western Cape (24 projects), the Eastern Cape (six projects), the Free State (11 projects), Limpopo (one project), the Northern Cape (six projects), the North West (eight projects) and the Western Cape (24 projects). 

However, only six bidders were selected, all solar projects:

• Kutlwano solar power plant (120 MW), North West – Enel Green Power;
• Boitumelo solar power plant (150 MW), North West – Enel Green Power;
• Doornhoek PV facility (120 MW), North West – AMEA Power, 
• Virginia solar park (240 MW), Free State – Red Rocket; 
• Good Hope solar park (200 MW), Free State – Red Rocket; and
• Ngonyama solar PV (140 MW), Free State – ib vogt.

None of the 23 wind projects submitted under BW 6 attained preferred-bidder status.

Potential Job Creation
Red Rocket’s Virginia Solar Park, in the Free State, and AMEA Power’s Doornhoek PV project, in North West, have committed 2 034 job opportunities (measured in job years), which include 859 jobs during construction and 1 175 during operations. The projects have also committed R389-million to be spent on skills, supplier enterprise and socioeconomic development initiatives in the communities within which they will be located over their 20-year life span.

Capital Expenditure
No value has been disclosed.

Planned Start/End Date
Red Rocket’s Virginia Solar Park and AMEA Power’s Doornhoek PV project signed project agreements and reached commercial close on April 30, 2024. Construction is expected to take about 24 months. New-generation capacity is expected to come online in May 2026.

No confirmed commercial/financial close or commercial operation date updates have been reported for Kutlwano, Boitumelo, Good Hope or Ngonyama.

Latest Developments
AMEA Power has successfully commissioned the Doornhoek solar PV plant – the first project under BW 6 to reach commercial operation – in May 2026.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
AMEA Power (Doornhoek PV); and RED Rocket (Virginia Solar Park and Good Hope solar park).

Contact Details for Project Information
DMRE project officer, email query@ipp-renewables.co.za.