South Africa GHI Solar-resource-map GlobalSolarAtlas World-Bank-Esmap-Solargis

The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP or REI4P) is an initiative by the

South African government The Government of South Africa, or South African Government, is the national government of the Republic of South Africa, a parliamentary republic with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary ...

aimed at increasing electricity capacity through private sector investment in

solar photovoltaic A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abs ...

and concentrated solar, onshore

wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

small hydro Small hydro is the generation of hydroelectric power on a smaller scale as compared to traditional large-scale hydro. Exact definitions vary by country, but small hydro power (SHP) projects are typically less than 50 megawatts (MW) and can be furt ...

(<40 MW),

landfill gas Landfill gas is a mix of different gases created by the action of microorganisms within a landfill as they decompose organic waste, including for example, food waste and paper waste. Landfill gas is approximately forty to sixty percent methane, ...

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

, and

biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

. As of 2023, a total of 123 projects have been awarded to the private sector. Private sector investment totalling has been committed to the REIPPPP. Four of the six Bid Windows have come online, totalling 6200 MW of installed capacity (or 5% of South Africa's energy supply). The programme supports the commitments made by South Africa under the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...

as of 2018, having contributed to climate change objectives, i.e. the reduction of 22.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and saving 26.6 million kilolitres of water.

History

At the

2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. A treaty was not established, but the conference agreed to est ...

(COP17) in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) was introduced to implement the objectives of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2010-2030); of which are to diversify the country's energy mix away from fossil-fired power generation like coal and crude oil, add 30 GW to the grid before 2030, take advantage of opportunities relating to a

Green Economy A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without environmental degradation, degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological econ ...

, and in creating new green industries with at least 300 000 jobs. In 2023, the

Development Bank of Southern Africa The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a development finance institution wholly owned by the Government of South Africa. The bank intends to "accelerate sustainable socio-economic development in the Southern African Development Communit ...

tendered for the programme to be reviewed in terms of its cost and efficacy.

Load shedding

In 2023, in an affidavit by outgoing

Eskom Eskom Hld SOC Ltd or Eskom is a South African electricity public utility. Eskom was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) (). Eskom represents South Africa in the Southern African Power Pool. The utility is the larg ...

CEO, André De Ruyter said former Eskom CEOs

Brian Molefe Brian Molefe is a South African businessman and business executive. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly, representing the UMkhonto we Sizwe, in the 2024 South African general election. Molefe rose to prominence during his ten ...

and Matshela Koko refused to conclude agreements with Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers, thus exacerbating load shedding. It was estimated that up to 96% of load shedding would have been avoided had they not halted the REIPPPP. According to analysts the REIPPPP is two to three years behind schedule. This is due to the programme being halted between 2015 and 2019, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy

Gwede Mantashe Samson Gwede Mantashe (born 21 June 1955) is a South African politician and former trade unionist who is currently serving as the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. He has been responsible for the mineral resources portfolio since Feb ...

not following the outline of the IRP and the grid network not adequately developed in areas where renewable energy is best harnessed (the

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sou ...

). Following the Stage 6 load shedding crisis in June 2022, President Ramaphosa announced that Bid Window 6 will double the amount procured from 2,600 MW to 5,200 MW, with 3,200MW allocated for wind and 1000 MW for Solar PV. The National Planning Commission also proposed the 100 MW ceiling of private generation be removed. It said solar and wind power projects can bring online 10 000 MW of capacity within 2–3 years.

Bid window allocations

Companies are meant to submit competitive tenders and self-fund their projects to be accepted as Preferred Bidders. As of 2021, Bid Windows 1-4 have 85 out of 92 projects operational, supplying the national grid with 71 073 GWh of renewable energy. Bid Window 5 projects will come onto the grid in 2025. Bid Window 6 is behind schedule as well. Bid Window 7 was initially meant to be a "rolling bid window" and aimed for 15 000 MW. In December 2023, Bid Window 7 was announced and targeted 5 000 MW; 3 200 MW allocated for wind and 1 800 MW for Solar PV.

Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme

In August 2020, the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPP) was initially introduced to quickly bring online 2000 MW of capacity and reduce the utilisation of expensive diesel-based peaking open cycle gas turbines. This is different from the REIPPPP where it doesn't target specific types of generation.

References

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External links