The port City of Cape Town in South Africa has announced a call to procure up to 300 MW renewable energy capacity, much of which will be generated by solar PV plants as independent power producer (IPP) facilities, according to the city's Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Speaking at the Solar Power Africa Conference 2022, Lewis said his administration will consider proposals from IPPs that can help eliminate the city's reliance on the national utility Eskom during peak times of use, and secure access to affordable and reliable electricity supply.
Eligible projects should have capacity ranging between 5 MW and 20 MW and can either be generation-only, generation plus storage or storage only as well.
"It is crucial to the city that we are not only able to keep the lights on during off-peak times, but that we are able to supply households and businesses with electricity when demand is at its highest," stated Lewis.
Last date of submissions is May 26, 2022. Tender documents are available on the city's tender portal on registration with tender no. 250F/2021/22.
Lewis also said a 2nd tender for dispatchable generation projects of over 20 MW which can be brought online in a short space of time will follow soon. "Over time, we will also procure much greater storage capacity to ensure the reliability of our supply and the integrity of our grid," added Lewis.
Separately, the city administration announced the Energy Directorate has accepted an offer of technical assistance from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) worth SAR 5.9 million to help the former with projects related to renewable energy purchase and generation, among other sustainable energy interventions.