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Groblershoop - ACWA Power International hosted an official ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday to commence construction of the Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Park (CSP) Independent Power Project (IPP) located in Groblershoop, Northern Cape.
This is the first energy project in South Africa for ACWA Power, a Saudi-based operator of power and desalinated water plants and is set to add 50 MWe of clean energy to the national grid.
Forming part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy IPP procurement program (REIPP), the Bokpoort CSP Project is being equipped with the largest thermal storage ever adopted for a solar power plant of this class and capacity in the world.
The plant thermal storage capacity will be 9.3 hours enabling it to yield a record-high generation in excess of 200 GWh/year well into the night every day throughout the year.
This makes CSP the only renewable technology at commercial scale to cover the country's daily peak demand from 17:00 to 21:00, thereby helping to prevent power black outs.
“It was only three years ago that ACWA Power decided to expand our operations outside of our Saudi Arabian home market," said Mohammed Bin Abdullah Abunayyan, chair of ACWA Power at the ground breaking ceremony.
"ACWA Power targeted four countries which we believe are the most promising, namely Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and of course South Africa."
It has already started work on three major projects which represent a total of 800MW in the pipeline and an investment commitment of R4.5bn to date.
Over the next five years it aims to establish a multi fuel portfolio (coal, gas, hydro, solar and wind) and deliver 4000MW over these four countries.
Bokpoort CSP IPP was the only CSP technology project and one of only 19 renewable energy projects selected by the Department of Energy of South Africa from among 79 bids submitted for the second window of the country's REIPP.
The Bokpoort CSP IPP it will create of 900 jobs during the peak of the construction period.
- Fin24
This is the first energy project in South Africa for ACWA Power, a Saudi-based operator of power and desalinated water plants and is set to add 50 MWe of clean energy to the national grid.
Forming part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy IPP procurement program (REIPP), the Bokpoort CSP Project is being equipped with the largest thermal storage ever adopted for a solar power plant of this class and capacity in the world.
The plant thermal storage capacity will be 9.3 hours enabling it to yield a record-high generation in excess of 200 GWh/year well into the night every day throughout the year.
This makes CSP the only renewable technology at commercial scale to cover the country's daily peak demand from 17:00 to 21:00, thereby helping to prevent power black outs.
“It was only three years ago that ACWA Power decided to expand our operations outside of our Saudi Arabian home market," said Mohammed Bin Abdullah Abunayyan, chair of ACWA Power at the ground breaking ceremony.
"ACWA Power targeted four countries which we believe are the most promising, namely Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and of course South Africa."
It has already started work on three major projects which represent a total of 800MW in the pipeline and an investment commitment of R4.5bn to date.
Over the next five years it aims to establish a multi fuel portfolio (coal, gas, hydro, solar and wind) and deliver 4000MW over these four countries.
Bokpoort CSP IPP was the only CSP technology project and one of only 19 renewable energy projects selected by the Department of Energy of South Africa from among 79 bids submitted for the second window of the country's REIPP.
The Bokpoort CSP IPP it will create of 900 jobs during the peak of the construction period.
- Fin24
