Bolobedu Solar Power Station

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Bolobedu Solar Power Station
Bolobedu Solar Power Station
Country South Africa
LocationBolobedu, Greater Letaba Municipality, Mopani District, Limpopo
Coordinates 23°36′58″S30°20′32″E / 23.61611°S 30.34222°E / -23.61611; 30.34222 Coordinates: 23°36′58″S30°20′32″E / 23.61611°S 30.34222°E / -23.61611; 30.34222
StatusProposed
Construction began2023 Expected
Commission date 2024 Expected
Owner(s)Bolobedu Solar Consortium
Operator(s)Voltalia of France
Solar farm
Type Flat-panel PV
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 149 MW (200,000 hp)
Annual net output 300 GWh
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The Bolobedu Solar Power Station is an 148 MW solar power plant planned in South Africa. The solar farm is owned and under development by a consortium led by Voltalia, the French multinational independent power producer (IPP) and Black South African shareholders, including a community trust. The off-taker of the power generated here is Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), a South African mining company owned by the Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate, Rio Tinto. The power will be conveyed from the solar farm to the customer's mine using the transmission lines of Eskom, the national electricity parastatal company, as is permissible under South African law. [1] [2]

Contents

Location

The power station would be located in the community of Bolobedu, in Greater Letaba Municipality, Mopani District, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. [1] [2] Bolobedu is located approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-east of Polokwane, the capital city of Limpopo Province. [3]

Overview

The design calls for a ground-mounted photovoltaic solar panel power station with generation capacity of 148 MW. It is calculated that the solar farm will generate 300 GWh of electricity on an annual basis. Voltalia has committed in writing to supply that energy to RBM for use in its mines and related facilities in Limpopo Province. A long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), was signed to that effect in October 2022. Eskom's electricity transmission network will be used to deliver the power from the solar farm to the customer premises. [1] [2]

Developers

The table below illustrates the composition of the consortium that owns and is developing this renewable energy infrastructure development. For descriptive purposes, we will call the SPV "Bolobedu Solar Consortium". [1] [2]

Bolobedu Solar Consortium Shareholding
RankShareholderDomicilePercentageNotes
1Voltalia France
44.0
 [1] [2]
2Black Women Enterprise(s) South Africa
10.0
 [1] [2]
3Black Enterprise(s)South Africa
41.0
 [1] [2]
3Bolobedu Community TrustSouth Africa
5.0
 [1] [2]
Total
100.00

Construction

Construction began in January 2023, with commercial commissioning expected in 2024. [4]

Other considerations

This development is expected to generate approximately 700 construction jobs and 53 permanent positions during the operations phase. [1] [2] Construction is expected to start in 2023, with commercial commissioning expected in 2024. [5]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jean Marie Takouleu (7 October 2022). "South Africa: Voltalia to sell 148 MWp of solar power to Rio Tinto from 2024". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Theresa Smith (7 October 2022). "Proposed Limpopo solar farm for wheeling deal to KZN mine". ESI-Africa. Cape Town, South Africa. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  3. ↑ Google (8 October 2022). "Road Distance Between Polokwane, South Africa And Bolobedu, South Africa" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  4. ↑ Jean Marie Takouleu (6 January 2023). "South Africa: Voltalia starts work on a solar park (148 MWp) in Bolobedu". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Akhona Matshoba (7 October 2022). "Richards Bay Minerals announces major solar power partnership". Moneyweb.co.za. Johannesburg South. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
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