Enel Green Power (EGP) has broken ground on its Pulida solar plant in South Africa’s Free State. The 82.5-MW plant will be able to generate more than 150 gigawatt hours of electricity each year when fully operational, according to EGP.
The electricity generated by Pulida will be sold to Eskom under a 20-year power supply agreement awarded to EGP in October 2013. The agreement was reached as part of the government’s REIPPP.
The company will also add to South Africa’s power generating capacity when other projects, both solar and wind, have been awarded and advance to fruition. EGP was given the green light to build the 111-MW Gibson Bay and the 88 Mw Nojoli wind farms, as well as the MW 82.5 Aurora, the 82.5-MW Paleisheweul, and 66-MW Tom Burke solar power projects.
The company, which already owns and manages the country’s 10-MW Upington solar facility, was awarded another 425 MW of wind power projects in the country in the fourth round of the REIPPP.