Independent Power Producer (IPP), Voltalia, has started construction on a 148 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Bolobedu, in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, with completion expected by 2024.
Having signed a 20-year private offtaker power purchase agreement with mineral sands producer Richards Bay Minerals – a subsidiary of global mining group Rio Tinto – in October 2022, the Bolobedu solar plant will supply approximately 300 GWh of renewables per year to the mining firm’s production facilities.
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The solar PV plant is expected to mitigate up to 237,000 tons of CO2 emissions equivalent, roughly the equivalent of removing 50,000 combustion engine cars from the road, while serving to create 700 jobs during the construction phase with at least 53 permanent jobs estimated for availability in operation and maintenance.
The power plant will enable Richards Bay Minerals to reduce its energy spending and source alternative electrical supply as scheduled rolling blackouts in South Africa – load shedding – continues to hamper productivity.
