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Pretoria - will buy an extra 1 456 megawatts of renewable energy from independent developers to boost power supply in the economy and reduce its reliance on coal-fired power stations, the said on Monday.
The department said it has signed agreements with power producers for 17 projects worth R33bn in the third stage of the renewable energy buying programme.
had already signed off a total of 47 projects to build about 2 400 MW in the first and second stage of the clean energy drive.
Eskom, the state-owned power utility, will be buying the power from the independent producers once the plants are built.
"It is anticipated that by December 2013, some of these projects will deliver energy," energy minister told reporters at a briefing announcing the preferred bidders.
depends on coal for 85% of its electricity supply of around 41 000 megawatts, almost all of it generated by Eskom. Two years ago the country launched the process to procure cleaner energy to reduce carbon emissions and bolster a strained power supply.
The process of adding more renewable power to the grid and having private players participate in generation has dragged on for years, raising doubts about the government's ability to deliver on its plans.
But progress made over the past year has won widespread praise from across the private sector and from bankers.
