Page 16 - AfrElec Week 50 2022
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AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec
Eni starts solar
production in Tunisia
TUNISIA ENI, the Italian energy major, has started Eni’s project is part of the decarbonisation
production in its photovoltaic (PV) plant in process of the Tunisian energy system and the
Tataouine, Tunisia. company’s goal to achieve zero scope 1, 2 and 3
Eni’s plant has an installed capacity of 10 MW. emissions by 2050.
It aims to supply over 20 GWh of power per year The PV plant was built by Société Energie
to the national grid and will ensure savings of Renouvelables Eni Etap (SEREE), which is a
211,000 tonnes of CO2. joint venture between Eni and ETAP (Entreprise
The power produced will be supplied to Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières) that focuses
STEG (Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du on power production from renewable energy
Gaz) through a 20-year agreement. sources.
Only five SA solar projects
achieve preferred bidder status
SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy provinces received appointment letters, with the
Minister Gwede Mantashe has confirmed an bulk of the remaining 27 solar projects failing to
appointment of only five preferred bidders, with secure grid access.
a combined capacity of 860MW, following the According to Bernard Magoro, Eskom’s Inde-
evaluation of bids made during the latest renew- pendent Power Producers (IPP) Office head,
ables procurement round. access to the state-owned utility’s grid emerged
A sixth project has also been identified as as a major constraint during the bidding round.
eligible, Engineering News reports. The govern- Also, market dynamics changed during the bid
ment is currently in discussion with the potential window, as a result of a reform allowing distrib-
bidder, which, if approved, could increase capac- uted generators below 100MW to proceed with-
ity of preferred projects under the Bid Window 6 out a licence.
(BW6) to 1,000 MW. That reform had the “unintended con-
According to the South Africa-based publica- sequence” of grid being reserved for private
tion, all six are solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, projects, which Magoro acknowledged could
with none of the 23 wind projects submitted advance more rapidly than is possible under the
under BW6 of the Renewable Energy Independ- REIPPPP, as the such projects are backed by a
ent Power Producer Procurement Programme government guarantee and subject to many
(REIPPPP) attaining preferred-bidder status. conditions.
The low conversion rate was a disappointing Eskom’s latest Transmission Development
development, despite BW6 initial allocation Plan points to the need for a significant acceler-
being raised from 2,600MW to 4,200MW. The ation in grid-related investments to facilitate the
increase in capacity allocation was announced integration of 53GW of new generation capac-
by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July to tackle ity, mostly renewables, over the next ten years,
continuing power outages, or load shedding, writes Engineering News.
which has now become extreme. Magoro said the REIPPPP would probably
A total of 56 wind and solar PV projects were need to be redesigned in light of the new mar-
submitted by the early-October deadline, with ket dynamics and indicated that the new model
a combined capacity of more than 9,600MW, would probably need to be debated by various
Engineering News writes. However, only solar stakeholders, including government and the
projects in the North West and Free State National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
P16 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 50 14•December•2022
