South Africa’s City of Ekurhuleni and BluEnergy started construction on 22 October of a 25.6 MW solar plant in Springs, a privately funded 360 million rand investment intended to supply the municipal grid.
The project will use the roof and unused land at the Springs Fresh Produce Market and is expected to deliver about 40 GWh a year under a 20-year power purchase agreement. That output is equivalent to the annual electricity use of about 6,000 average households, according to developer figures reported by Engineering News.
The plant will connect to the Springs bulk substation. The city will buy the electricity without providing upfront municipal capital, while the independent power producer finances the infrastructure. More than 100 jobs are expected during construction, followed by permanent operations and maintenance roles.
South Africa’s Department of Electricity and Energy said the project also includes sustainable energy storage, without disclosing its capacity. It forms part of Ekurhuleni’s independent power producer programme and follows a ministerial decision enabling the metro to procure new generation capacity.
Once operational, the plant is expected to avoid about 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to estimates published by the partners. No commissioning date has been announced.