Enel Green Power won the right to contract with the South African utility Eskom. At the heart of the agreement, an energy supply for 314 MWp of photovoltaic projects and 199 MW of wind projects (for a total of 513 MW), which respectively represent more than 65% and 25% of the total amount of photovoltaic and wind farm awarded to date in the third phase of the tender.
The projects will be completed and will come on stream in 2016. The result is in line with EGP's strategic growth objectives in the new emerging countries, as envisaged in the 2013-2017 business plan. The photovoltaic systems were designed with thin-film modules produced by 3Sun, the equal joint venture between Enel Green Power, STMicroelectronics and Sharp.
“This important result in South Africa allows us to establish the Enel Group's first presence in the field of renewable energies on the continent – commented Fulvio Conti, CEO and general manager of Enel -. Once again the validity of our growth strategy is confirmed, which aims to enhance projects in countries with an abundance of natural resources, regulatory stability and robust macro-economic fundamentals which are accompanied by a rapid increase in the demand for electricity".
The four photovoltaic projects (Aurora, Tom Burke, Paleisheweul and Pulida) will be located in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Limpopo regions, in the areas with the highest concentration of solar radiation. The two wind projects (Gibson Bay and Cookhouse) will be built in the Eastern Cape region, in areas that offer a very large availability of wind resources.
Once completed, the six new projects, which require a total investment of around 630 million euros, will be able to generate more than 1.300 GWh per year, making an important contribution to the country's growing energy demand.
