South Africa opens another electricity bid window as it looks to leave load shedding behind

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has opened bid window six of its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

The announcement comes as the government increasingly looks to renewable energy resources such as solar and wind as it plans to phase out its long-term reliance on coal. The window is expected to procure a further 2,600MW of renewable energy from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), of which 1.6 GW is wind energy in line with the gazetted IRP2019.

The department has set a firm date for the closing date for bid submission as 11 August 2022.

The bid window has been welcomed by the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) which it said is a step towards addressing energy security and further stimulating the role of the wind sector in South Africa’s development objectives.

“The announcement to open BW6, calling for proposals from IPPs, adds vitally needed power capacity to the country, which continues to struggle with a strangled energy supply that is preventing the necessary economic recovery that South Africa so badly needs.

“This also adds impetus to the sector’s push for industrialisation, which relies on rolling procurement in order for the industry to attract the necessary market investment and reduce risk,” said Niveshen Govender, chief executive of SAWEA.

South Africa can address fundamental challenges of energy access, energy security and climate change through the deployment of renewable energy, Govender said.

“We can harness our abundant potential of increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy to service the growing demand for electricity and avoid a potential fossil-fuel lock-in, in addition to local and foreign investment.

Furthermore, renewable technologies present the potential for the creation of new industries, job creation and localisation across the value chain.”

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