Total S.A. was selected as a preferred bidder in the third phase of in South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Program (REIPPP).
The French oil and gas giant will construct an 86-MW PV power plant, located in the Northern Cape’s Prieska, using SunPower’s Oasis Power Blocks integrated system. The Oasis technology optimizes 1.5 MW power blocks with energy management tools. It takes a modular approach to solar power plant design to scale a solar energy site from 1.5 MW to over 500 MW.
The $200 million needed for financial close is expected by mid-2014. Total said that the project would be financed 80% through non-recourse project debt from unidentified South African banks. The remaining 20% would be funded by Total, Calulo Renewable Energy, Mulilo Renewable Energy, the IDC, Future Growth Asset Management (Pty) Ltd., and a local community trust.
Construction is planned to begin during H2 2014 with completion expected by mid-2015.
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