Enel Green Power wins 425 MW wind energy projects in South Africa

Enel Green Power has won 425 MW wind energy capacity in the fourth round of South Africa ’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

The company now has 938 MW of wind and solar power projects under South Africa’s REIPPPP.

Enel Green Power won 3 wind energy projects in the latest round of auction:

• 142 MW Oyster Bay wind farm in the Eastern Cape province,
• 141 MW Nxuba wind farm in the Eastern Cape province, and
• 142 MW Karusa wind farm 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.