S Africa opens 2.6-GW renewables bid window

The South African government’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) last week launched the sixth bid window under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), seeking proposals for 2.6 GW of new renewables generation.

The tender capacity is split between 1.6 GW of onshore wind and 1 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV). Bids should be submitted by August 11.

The department plans to host a bidders’ conference before the bid submission date.

This is the second procurement bid window following a ministerial determination in 2020, aimed at the procurement of slightly more than 11.8 GW of power from various sources, including 6.8 GW of wind and PV.

The results of the fifth round of the REIPPPP were unveiled in October last year, with 25 preferred bidders selected, representing just under 2.6 GW of renewables.

Commenting on the tender launch the chief executive of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) Niveshen Govender said it “adds vitally needed power capacity to the country, which continues to struggle with strangled energy supply that is preventing the necessary economic recovery that South Africa so badly needs.”

According to Govender, it will also support the sector’s industrialisation, which needs rolling procurement to attract investment and reduce risk.

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