South Africa’s largest wheeling project was officially commissioned at a ribbon-cutting event in Lichtenburg in North West yesterday, allowing the SOLA Group to provide Tronox Mineral Sands with more than 200MW of clean renewable energy.
The project would also see more than R200 million spent in the local economy, with hundreds of permanent and part-time job opportunities.
SOLA spokesperson Jonathan Skeen said the project symbolised a significant milestone for the delivery of energy.
“Today is about celebrating the milestone reached when a project of this size is officially commissioned. These are the first projects of this size that have been commissioned since the licensing cap was lifted,” Skeen said.
The two plants were recently completed by SOLA outside the town of Lichtenburg generating 126MW and 130MWp, respectively after construction work started in September.
The projects will provide clean energy to Tronox Mineral Sands (in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape) via the Eskom Transmission Network through a Wheeling Agreement.
Wheeling is the transfer of electrical power via a utility’s transmission or distribution system between different grid or network service areas. When it comes to renewable energy, wheeling provided an elegant solution to buying cleaner power at a more efficient rate than coal-based power.
Wheeling allowed a business to buy clean, private power – while still supporting state utility Eskom.
This project was described as one of the first major solar projects to have been built outside of the Northern Cape, an area that has traditionally been considered as the best location for solar projects. Grid capacity has made it necessary to look for other locations.
SOLA’s work in Lichtenburg has created value in North West’s community by providing 789 temporary jobs for residents; creating employment for a further 147 workers via SMMEs on the project; bringing 700 contractors on site; spending over R200 million within the local community; and providing education opportunities to 305 people within a tailor-made SMME training programme.
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