South Africa Moves Forward with REIPPP Program

South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), with the intent to procure 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of wind and 1 GW of solar power, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) calling for independent power producers (IPPs) to submit bids for development of wind and solar power projects in the country under Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP) bid window 5. The window 5 projects have been delayed several times, and according to the sources from DMRE, the release of documentation for the RFP has been delayed again. The department intends to release the documentation no later than April 12 2021. The REIPPP program is a competitive tender process that is designed to facilitate private-sector investment into grid-connected renewable energy projects in South Africa. Industrial Info is tracking 277 development and grid-connected solar and wind energy projects, worth $44.48 billion, in South Africa.