Grace Ashiru
South Africans are still trying to figure out how to deal with Eskom’s terrible load-shedding schedule. Still, it seems there is a way to make things better Scatec SA, a Norwegian company, has said it will build a battery-powered solar project in the Northern Cape.
The project, which has an estimated worth of R30 billion, will most certainly make things easier for the troubled state-owned power provider.
After attaining a financial close, Scatec presented the multi-billion rand project that would be built in the Kenhardt region. The project is currently being developed as part of the risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Program.
The decision was made in response to calls made by the South African Wind Energy Association and President Cyril Ramaphosa, Business Leadership SA, to prioritize adopting renewable energy sources.
As a result of the fact that Eskom is responsible for providing more than 90 per cent of the electricity in South Africa, the firm is currently experiencing financial duress and is having difficulty maintaining a continuous power supply.
Terje Pilskog, Chief operating officer of Scatec, stated that the initiative is one of a kind and demonstrates their devotion to their partners.
This project will be a pioneer in its field and result in the construction of one of the world’s largest battery and solar complexes.
Now that we have reached this point, we are looking forward to beginning work on this one-of-a-kind and exciting project, which would make a significant contribution to the green energy sector and economy of South Africa.
On the flip side, Jan Fourie, the general manager of Scatec Sub-Saharan Africa, stressed how important it was to get energy from renewable sources.
This is a big step forward in getting renewable energy, and it shows that we can count on this sector to add required electricity capacity to the grid,” he said.
According to sources in the media, once the work has been completed, the corporation would be entitled to 51 per cent ownership of the equity in the project, while H1 Holdings, a partner in black economic empowerment, will take 49 per cent.
ITWeb says that the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme aims to fill the short-term supply gap and ease the pressure on the electrical supply.
