The Greefspan II solar photovoltaic power plant is the newest addition to South Africa’s operational commercial solar plants. It is located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The project has been established under a partnership between the fund manager African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), the Spanish company TSK and South Africa’s Umbono Energy Partners. The total capacity of the plant is 63.2 MW, with roughly 188,822 photovoltaic modules installed.
The construction and operation of the plant will be undertaken by GRS, a subsidiary of the Gransolar Group. The power generated by the solar power plant has the capacity to cater to the energy needs of 20,000 South African households. The project is also said to have created as many as 700 jobs during its construction phase and expects to continue to employ the local workforce. It is also expected to boost South Africa’s renewable energy transition by reducing emissions of 130 000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.
The project has been awarded to the developers in the fourth round of tenders under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP). The South African REIPPP is a competitive tender process that was designed to facilitate private sector investment into grid-connected renewable energy generation in South Africa. The fifth round of REIPPP tenders received 102 proposals for a capacity of 2,600 MW.
