Saudi developer ACWA Power and the state-owned Central Energy Fund of South Africa are linking up to invest in renewable energy projects in the African country starting with the 100MW Redstone solar thermal power plant in the Northern Cape province.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the agreement during an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Signed in Jeddah, the deal calls for the construction of the new solar plant in 2018.
The plant will include the latest solar energy storage techniques and boast a central salt receiver with 12 hours of thermal storage capacity.
ACWA Power chairman Mohammad Abunayyan said: “We are pleased to enter into this agreement, which further strengthens our efforts in supporting South Africa’s renewable energy program.”
“We are committed to providing the country with the most advanced and versatile solar technology solutions, which can efficiently and reliably produce clean energy for 24 hours if called upon to do so.”
“Our Redstone CSP plant will be able to deliver stable cost competitive electricity supply to more than 210,000 South African homes during peak demand periods, which are during the night,” said ACWA Power chief executive Paddy Padmanathan.
Padmanathan explained that the centered solar energy technique allows the generation of electricity even after sunset and without the need to use fuel.
He added that the new solar plant usage of the dry cooling technique to reduce dependency on water makes it the most attractive option among the available renewable energy sources in the world.
