Enel Green Power Wins 425 MW Wind Energy Projects In Fourth REIPPP Auction

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Enel Green Power is fast emerging as one of the leading renewable energy project developers in South Africa following its huge success in the last 2 rounds of auction under the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

EnelThe government of South Africa recently announced the much-awaited results of the fourth round of renewable energy projects auctions, and Enel Green Power managed to win 425 MW of wind energy capacity. The company now has in its kitty 938 MW of wind and solar power projects under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

Enel Green Power won 3 wind energy projects in the latest round of auction: 2 projects (142 MW Oyster Bay and 141 MW Nxuba) are in the Eastern Cape province, and one project (142 MW Karusa) is in the Northern Cape province. Projects in the Eastern Cape are expected to be operational in 2017 while the third project would be commissioned in 2018.

During the previous round of the REIPPPP auctions, Enel Green Power secured rights to develop 2 wind energy projects, with a total capacity of 199 MW, and 4 solar power projects, with a total capacity of 314 MW. Enel started construction on 3 of the solar power projects early last month, and successfully secured $170 million debt finance from KfW IPEX Bank and started construction of 111 MW Gibson Bay wind project this month.

Bidding for the fourth round ended on 18 August 2014, but the announcement of winners was delayed due to the possible inability of South African utility Eskom to procure the power generated from these projects. The utility had expressed technical difficulties citing transmission constraints. Work to remove these constraints has now been initiated.


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