Page 11 - AfrElec Week 41

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

SOL AR The 86MW Waterloo Solar Park, situated Zest WEG will supply a TGM planetary
near Vryburg in the North West province, is gearbox with a WEG variable speed drive
Impala Platinum to build said to be nearing completion. (VSD) and WEG medium voltage motor for
The juwi Group is constructing all three
the latest mill expansion at the plant.
10MW solar plant projects, which have a combined capacity of Zest WEG, said the equipment is destined for
Leandro Magro, steam turbines manager at
250MW.
South Africa’s Impala Platinum Holdings The Bokamoso Solar Park, which has been the new sugar cane crushing mill #6 at Green
plans to install a 10MW solar plant at its constructed on a 150-ha site, is able to supply Fuel’s state-of-the-art ethanol facility in south-
Marula platinum mine in a bid to guarantee 177 660MWh/y into the Eskom grid from 236 eastern Zimbabwe. The plant produces high-
energy security. 580 solar panels. grade anhydrous ethanol, with a high-pressure
Impala said that the mine was suffering “We are delighted to have achieved this boiler and TGM steam turbine generator set
from unreliable power supplies from state- major project milestone,” juwi MD Greg to increase energy recovery. This will allow the
owned Eskom, which has reduced production Austin said in a statement, adding that plant to not only be self-sufficient in its energy
at the site and created concerns about future the company was also looking forward to needs but also generate excess electricity.
output. participating in future procurement rounds in The ethanol project employs more than
The platinum mine is located in South South Africa. 3,000 people in its agricultural and industrial
Africa’s northernmost province of Limpopo. The Department of Mineral Resources operations and its ethanol product not only
The miner has launched a Request for and Energy, through the Independent Power produces less greenhouse gas emissions than
Information (RFI) regarding the project, in Producer (IPP) Office, is currently overseeing unleaded petrol but can be sold more cheaply.
which developers will be able to submit offers the Risk Mitigation Independent Power “The engineered gearbox for this project
The contractors are invited to provide Producer Procurement Programme for 2 is custom-built by TGM in Brazil, a WEG
information about the design, financing, 000MW. Group company, and is supplied with a WEG
construction, commissioning, operation and The IPP Office has also indicated that it VSD and WEG electric motor as a package.
maintenance of a solar park of the proposed plans to initiate the fifth bid window of the The components in this solution are designed
scale. The RFI does not contain a commitment REIPPPP before the end of January, following to deliver the specific torque required to crush
element. the gazetting of a Ministerial determination the cane to the customer’s specifications –
The solar project was put forward after the opening the way for the procurement of reliably and efficiently,” explained Magro.
South African government’s recent decision 6 800MW for onshore wind and solar PV The volume and quality of cane being
to allow mining companies to search for self- generators over the coming three years. brought in from the fields to the mill vary
generation power options to augment their during the harvesting season – usually from
electricity needs, Impala noted. ETHANOL April to October or November – so the rate
South African companies have recently of crushing in the mill needs to be adjustable.
been actively turning to renewables to lower Zimbabwe ethanol Thus the specified motor had to be able to
their dependence on Eskom for power supply. facilitate speed variations.
Among them is steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal production plant to The TGM third-generation planetary
South Africa Limited, which this summer unveiled gearbox is designed specifically for sugar cane
plans to build 160MW of solar parks at its six generate excess electricity mills, where torque variations are constant
operational sites. and robust construction is required. The
Green Fuel’s ethanol facility in Chisumbanje, bearings are designed to achieve more than
Zimbabwe is expanding its mill operations 100,000 hours of operation. This means the
SA’s 78MW Bokamoso solar with a new high-pressure boiler to increase equipment can run for up to 10 years before
any major service intervention is required.
energy recovery.
park opens and project management services company
Electrical and instrumentation engineering
The 78MW Bokamoso Solar Park, situated
near Leeudoringstad in the North West
province, had reached full grid code
compliance and commenced commercial
operations, engineering, procurement
and construction (EPC) contractor juwi
Renewable Energies said.
The project’s equity investors are Old
Mutual’s African Infrastructure Investment
Managers (AIIM), through its IDEAS Fund,
the Phakwe Group, the Reatile Group and
African Rainbow Energy and Power.
Bokamoso is the second of three AIIM
projects awarded under the fourth bid
window to enter into commercial operation,
with the 86MW Droogfontein 2 Solar Park,
near Kimberley in the Northern Cape,
reaching full operation in February.

Week 41 15•October•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P11