South African state utility Eskom has launched a tender for a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a minimum of 80MW/320MWh usable capacity at the Skaapvlei substation, in Vredendal, near its 100-MW Sere wind farm in the Western Cape.
The deadline for the submission of the project proposals is September 11. There will also be a pre-bid clarification meeting on 27 August 2020.
A strict selection process will follow and the successful bidder will sign a contract to design, build and commission the storage facility within a period of seven and nine months. They will further operate and provide maintenance services for a period of five years.
The proposed project is a part of Eskom Investment Support Project (EISP) and Eskom Renewables Support Project (ERSP), which are funded by the World Bank through its International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), in conjunction with the African Development Bank, and the New Development Bank.
The cost of the BESS project to Eskom is around $415 million under the first phase of the EISP and the ERSP.