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ENGIE announced the commercial operation on January 30, 2019 for the 100 MW Kathu Thermosolar Park in South Africa. This state-of-the-art power plant is a solar thermal power (CSP) project with parabolic channel technology and equipped with a molten salt storage system that allows 4.5 hours of thermal energy storage to provide reliable electricity in the absence of solar radiation and during the peak of demand. The Kathu site covers approximately 4.5 km², with 384,000 mirrors. Kathu is the first CSP development for ENGIE. The solar thermal park was awarded in Round 3.5 of the Procurement Program for Independent Renewable Energy Producers (REIPPP) of South Africa, a competitive bidding process that was launched to facilitate investment by the private sector in the generation of renewable energies. Kathu Solar Park signed a 20-year energy purchase agreement (PPA) in accordance with the REIPPP procurement program with the buyer. Isabelle Kocher, executive director of ENGIE: The completion of Kathu demonstrates our continued commitment to economic and ecological development in South Africa. Kathu with its molten salt storage design offers a clean solution to overcome the intermittency of renewable energies. We are proud to contribute to the countrys renewable energy goals and we hope to continue with projects initiated with local communities, which makes Kathu a true promoter of regional economic development. Kathu will provide clean and reliable power to 179,000 households in the local community of the district of John Taolo Gaetsewe, Northern Cape and South Africa in general. In addition, it is estimated that the Kathu Solar Park will save six million tons of CO2 for 20 years and will encourage greater local economic development through several projects, such as trust for the benefit of the communities located in the North Cape and the hiring of services of local entrepreneurs. The shareholders of KSP, which are led by ENGIE (48.5%), include a group of South African investors comprising SIOC Community Development Trust, Investec Bank, Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund and their co-investors FMO, the Dutch development bank and DEG, the German investment and development company, and the Public Investment Corporation. The main contractor (EPC) is Liciastar, a Spanish consortium of SENER and Acciona, in addition to the Kelebogile Trust. In South Africa, ENGIE has interests in a wind farm (94 MW Aurora), 2 photovoltaic solar farms (21 MW) and 2 thermal power stations (670 MW Avon and 335 MW Dedisa). ENGIE also owns Thermaire Investments (Pty) Ltd. and Ampair (Pty) Ltd., leaders in the HVAC installation and maintenance segment in the South African market. |
