South African state-owned power utility, Eskom Holdings, has launched a tender for the construction of a 75 MW solar power plant near the 3.7 GW Lethabo coal power station located in the Free State province of South Africa.
As part of its Just Energy Transition strategy, the South African utility is planning to convert its old coal power stations that were already scheduled for retirement between 2030 to 2040 for conversion into renewable energy producing power plants.
Interested bidders have until the 4th of June 2024 to submit their proposals. The selected bidder will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, construction, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of the solar energy facility.
Eskom highlighted that the planned solar project will be a single PV facility. The utility also revealed that the solar energy facility might feature both fixed-tilt mounting structures and single-axis trackers.
Just transition for Lethabo
The development of a solar power plant at Lethabo coal power station is part of Eskom’s Just Energy Transition strategy which plans to gradually repurpose its old power stations that were already scheduled for decommission between 2030 and 2040 into renewable energy power plants.
Lethabo power station has an installed capacity of 3,708 megawatts (MW) comprising 6 X 618 MW units. The units are scheduled to be decommissioned between 2036 and 2041. Eskom however has indicated intentions to delay the decommissioning of the power station to help alleviate the energy crisis currently engulfing South Africa.
Among the power plants Eskom had earmarked for repurposing into renewable energy power plants include Lethabo, Groovlei and Komati power stations.
The 56-year-old Komati coal-fired power plant was decommissioned in October 2022, with plans for the power plant to be repurposed into a renewable energy site with 150MW of photovoltaic energy, 70MW wind generating capacity, 150MW of Battery Energy Storage System and a synchronous condenser.
In November 2022 the World Bank approved a $439.5 million loan for the repurposing of the Komati power station. Additionally, Eskom also received a $47.5 million concessional loan from the Canadian Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility (CCEFCF), and a $10 million grant from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) for the project.
For more information on the 75 MW solar power plant tender, please click here.
