De Aar

24 February 2025

Solarafrica Secures R1.8 Billion Solar Investment, Advancing Wheeling Adoption in South Africa

SolarAfrica (https://SolarAfrica.com/) is proud to take another major step forward in the development of its flagship utility-scale solar project, SunCentral, by successfully reaching financial close on the first 114 MW component of the project alongside funding partners Investec and RMB. The R1.8 billion investment into SunCentral marks the start of the project's rollout in South Africa.

SunCentral is a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant located between Hanover and De Aar in South Africa's Northern Cape province. The project will be developed in three phases.

Phase 1, consisting of 342 MW, will be delivered through a staged roll-out of three 114 MW facilities and will deliver renewable energy to a diverse range of off-takers by wheeling it through South Africa's power grid. Phase 2 and 3 will increase SunCentral's capacity to 1 GW.

Unlike similarly sized projects that offer wheeling on a one-to-one basis (with one generation plant supplying one off-taker), SolarAfrica's project will offer wheeling on a one-to-many basis, making it available to a wider pool of businesses in South Africa.

SolarAfrica's Chief Investment Officer Charl Alheit, who spearheaded the financial close, explains: “Reaching financial close on the first 114 MW of our utility-scale wheeling development and Main Transmission Substation (MTS) investment marks a significant milestone in our commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions for our customers in the commercial and industrial sectors.”

He adds that the substantial size of SunCentral will unlock access to cheaper, greener power for even more businesses across the country. “We are excited to see this project move forward as we continue contributing to the energy transition while delivering long-term value to our customers."

SolarAfrica is part of the greater Starsight Energy Africa Group. The success of SunCentral will act as a blueprint for similar (and possibly smaller) off-site generation projects in other key African markets in which the Starsight Energy Africa Group companies operate.

“The construction of SolarAfrica's SunCentral is a critical step in our journey to expand clean energy adoption across Sub-Saharan Africa, says Paul van Zijl, Group CEO of Starsight Energy Africa Group. “We are excited to move this project forward and continue delivering long-term value to our customers,” he says.

SolarAfrica is backed by world-class investors African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) and Helios Investment Partners who both hold decades-long track records of bringing investment to support African innovation.

“Reaching Financial Close on the first 114 MW on SunCentral is a fantastic milestone for SolarAfrica, says Thor Corry, Investment Director at AIIM.

“The modular approach to construct the MTS and plug in subsequent 114 MW modules provides a superb platform for SolarAfrica to scale at pace to meet the needs of the C&I customers in South Africa who want to secure price certainty and cost efficiencies while furthering South Africa's Just Energy Transition. With South Africa requiring up to 30 GW of new capacity by 2030 to meet its climate commitments and energy needs, projects like this are crucial,” Corry concludes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Starsight Energy.

About SolarAfrica:
Founded in 2011, SolarAfrica provides a suite of capex-free green energy solutions to the commercial and industrial sectors in Southern Africa. The holistic suite includes on-site solutions such as solar energy and battery storage together with virtual solutions like wheeling, trading and aggregation.

SolarAfrica partners with businesses in South Africa seeking an energy solution that provides power security, cost savings and carbon reduction – building towards long-term sustainability.

The company has evolved into an ambitious team who are passionate about what they do and the core values they uphold. SolarAfrica has been named the continent's leading solar energy firm twice, scooping the Africa Solar Industry Association's African Solar Company of the Year award in 2021 and 2023.

About Starsight Energy:
Across the continent, Starsight Energy is redefining what it means for businesses to be energy efficient. Starsight Energy provides premier clean on-grid and off-grid energy services to commercial and industrial clients in Africa.

Serving the commercial and industrial, financial, residential, educational and agricultural sectors, Starsight Energy delivers tailored power and cooling solutions to meet client requirements while optimising consumption through energy-efficient appliances and environmentally friendly practices and recommendations.

From load analysis and modelling to demand management and customised solution design, Starsight Energy helps clients optimize energy efficiency and cost savings across the board.

About African Infrastructure Investment Managers (“AIIM”):
AIIM, a member of Old Mutual Alternative Investments* (“OMAI”), has been investing in the African infrastructure sector since 1999 with a track record extending across seven African infrastructure funds. AIIM's team of 40+ investment professionals are based out of five locally staffed offices across the continent in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos and Abidjan providing direct on-the-ground coverage of our key markets.

AIIM is Africa's largest dedicated infrastructure private equity manager and currently manages an aggregate AUM of USD2.9 billion in assets across the power, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, mid-stream energy and transport sectors with operations in 19 African countries.

AIIM is a licensed FSP approved by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa.

*Old Mutual Alternative Investments (OMAI) is a private alternative investment manager in Africa, with over USD7.6 billion (ZAR139.4 billion) under management in infrastructure, private equity, hybrid equity and impact funds. It is a member of Old Mutual Investment Group, the investment management arm of Old Mutual.

About Helios Investment Partners:
Established in 2004, Helios Investment Partners is the largest Africa-focused private investment firm, with a record that spans creating start-ups to providing expanding companies with growth capital and expertise. The firm has over $3.0 billion in assets under management and is led and managed by a predominantly African team based in London, Lagos, Nairobi and Paris, with the language skills and cultural affinity to engage with local entrepreneurs, managers, and intermediaries on the continent.

Helios leverages its local and global networks to create attractive proprietary investment opportunities, with an emphasis on building market leaders in core economic sectors and driving performance through a highly engaged approach to portfolio operations. The firm's unique combination of a deep knowledge of the African operating environment, a singular commitment to the region and a proven capability to manage complexity, is reflected in its diverse portfolio of growing, market-leading businesses, and its position as a partner of choice in Africa.

Helios is the second mainstream private equity firm globally, and the largest emerging markets focused private equity firm, to achieve B Corp certification. B Corp status recognizes the firm's longstanding commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.

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3 December 2024

Is Decarbonisation Possible for Africa?

Location: News

Starsight Energy
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Paul van Zijl, Group CEO at Starsight Energy (www.StarsightEnergy.com), believes it is. He maintains that we must apply a contextual lens and move away from all-or-nothing thinking, employing a holistic, phased and sustainable approach to the continent's energy mix.

It's fair to say that the global imperative to ‘decarbonise' – the shift from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or oil to carbon-free and renewable energy sources – has been more of a stumble than a sprint in Africa.

But as always, context is important. In Africa, other pressing socio-economic often – understandably – take priority, which then limits available funding; a lack of infrastructure hampers development; and, of course, vested interests slow progress. All of these factors have contributed to Africa's sluggish transition, for which it has been (often unfairly) criticised.

The cruel irony is that – even though Africa is far from the leading perpetrator behind the world's current carbon status (the continent is estimated to contribute less than 4% to global greenhouse gas emissions, making it one of the lowest emitters in the world) – it is one of the regions most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Africa's temperature increases surpass the global average, while multi-year droughts in some regions juxtaposed by extreme flooding in others have become the norm. Without targeted intervention, an estimated 118 million Africans living in extreme poverty will face increased exposure to droughts, floods, and extreme heat in the coming years, further straining poverty alleviation efforts and economic growth.

African countries are estimated to lose 2–5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) annually and allocate up to 9% of their budgets to respond to climate extremes, according to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report. In Sub-Sahara Africa, adaptation costs are projected to reach USD 30–50 billion by 2030, or 2–3% of the region's GDP. Yet, Africa is estimated to only receive around 3% of global climate finance.

Africa is not the biggest culprit of carbonisation – but it is one of its biggest victims.

African countries, in general, do not have the same funding capabilities as the developed world, and priorities also differ. Poverty alleviation and economic participation/upliftment are understandably at the top of the list for most African governments and this means that limited funding needs to be allocated accordingly. In addition, recent conversations have highlighted the higher cost of debt for African nations, when compared to other sovereign issuances in emerging markets.

Despite these significant challenges, Africa has a lot going for it: we're unburdened by the need to decarbonise an “old economy”, as is the case with our Western counterparts, and the continent is blessed with immense renewable energy potential. Strategically harnessing these assets could not only fast-track climate action but also unlock significant economic opportunities for the continent.

To get there, however, we need to change our perspective from believing that fossil fuels are the only road to job creation, political power and economic growth. It shouldn't be “either/or” but rather, “and”. We must aim for more choice, less reliance on one energy type, and greater sustainability.

Eradicating fossil fuels will not happen overnight; the losses from flipping the switch prematurely would be too great.

Rather, our focus should be on what can be added to the energy mix, and the steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. Take natural gas, for example, generally viewed as the “lesser” of the fossil fuel evils. Natural gas and renewable energy can be quite complementary as part of a balanced energy strategy, especially during the transition to a low-carbon future.

We've seen, in real-time, major oil and gas companies drilling more and backtracking on their renewable energy targets and efforts. Yet, when natural gas, a by-product of oil drilling, is captured and used as fuel it is combusted more efficiently, producing lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compared to coal or oil. However, must ensure it is properly handled, as gas flaring or venting has a massive negative environmental impact.

What has changed, however, is that the typical excuse that renewable energy is “too expensive” has lost all weight. The build cost of renewable energy has reduced substantially over recent years while the trend for electricity grid prices in most countries has done the opposite. Globally, fuel prices have been highly volatile, with prices escalating in most countries on the back of political upheaval in the Middle East and Ukraine / Russia. And when compared to traditional power tariffs in countries like South Africa, annual renewable energy escalations are negligible.

The battle is no longer between clean energy and cheap energy; it is now significantly more affordable to go the renewable route.

Renewable energy is the continent's real sunrise sector.

The South African renewables industry has proven a case study for the rest of the continent. It has seen substantial involvement from the private sector, which has led to significant capital investment to maintain and improve infrastructure. It's creating jobs in both metros and rural areas, with a prime example being our SunCentral solar farm development in De Aar, Northern Cape where our operations will create more than 460 permanent and contract jobs. And innovations in renewable energy are saving SA businesses vast amounts of money, with solutions such as on-site solar, electricity wheeling, energy trading and aggregation helping make the switch to green energy not only possible but also profitable in the commercial and industrial sectors.

With the rise of the Independent Power Producer (IPP), African governments don't have to drive this transition on their own anymore. Each sector has a critical role to play, with success breeding more success.

Africa stands at a critical juncture, where the challenges of climate change intersect with the opportunity to redefine its energy future. The path to decarbonisation should neither be a sprint nor a stumble – it must be a deliberate, phased journey involving the collective effort of all stakeholders.

By embracing a balanced energy mix, encouraging innovation, and leveraging deregulation, Africa can transition to a low-carbon future without compromising its socio-economic priorities. Renewable energy isn't just an environmental imperative – it's an economic opportunity, a job creator, and a cornerstone for sustainable development.

It's time to flip the switch.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Starsight Energy.

4 November 2024

Let’s ensure a safer festive season

Location: News

Let's ensure a safer festive season

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has called on communities to assist in ensuring a safer festive season for all through Operation Shanela.

The weekly multi-disciplinary, high-density operation, which commenced on Monday, 28 October 2024 until Sunday, 3 November 2024, executed in the five districts of the Northern Cape, resulted in the apprehension and arrest of 334 suspects, and the confiscation of numerous items.

Safer Festive Season Operations are in full swing in all districts throughout this period and beyond, encompassing high-density operations, which include regular roadblocks, stop and searches, the tracking and tracing of wanted suspects and heightened police visibility aimed at preventing and combating serious and violent crimes during the holiday season and beyond.

Numerous vehicle check points (VCPs) and roadblocks were conducted across the province, during which a total of 2 247 vehicles and 4 136 persons were stopped and searched.

Compliance inspections at second-hand dealers, scrapyards, recyclers, private security, firearm dealers, formal and informal businesses, as well as farms were conducted, including community awareness campaigns.

Operational successes achieved include the arrest of 280 suspects for murder, attempted murder, assault, burglary, illegal dealing in liquor, illegal firearm and ammunition, theft of or out of motor vehicle, malicious damage to property, driving under the influence of alcohol, robbery, rape, possession of dangerous weapons, dealing in and possession of drugs, illegal immigrants, stock theft and other crimes.

Police in De Aar tracked down a robbery suspect and recovered stolen property, including bank cards, clothing and traveling bags, and managed to link the suspect to several other cases.

Fifty-four wanted suspects were traced and brought to book by detectives for evading court appearances and contravention of court orders.

The police confiscated large volumes of alcoholic beverages, drugs, dangerous weapons, fuel, copper and cash that is believed to be the proceeds of crime.

The Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lieutenant General Kholiswa Otola, expressed her gratitude to all law enforcement agencies for the collective efforts and actions executed during this period.

Otola reiterated that no one will be left behind when it comes to fighting crime as it involves the robust involvement and support of community structures.

She urged everyone to be alert and vigilant, and report any suspicious criminal activity immediately to the police using the SAPS Crime Stop number on 08600 10111 or on the MySAPS App. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Mon, 11/04/2024 - 10:02

63 views

14 May 2024

Inquests re-opened into Luthuli, Mxenge and Mantyi apartheid era deaths

Location: News

Inquests re-opened into Luthuli, Mxenge and Mantyi apartheid era deaths

Inquests into the deaths of prominent anti-apartheid activists Chief Albert Luthuli and Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge and civic leader Booi Mantyi have been re-opened by Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, on recommendations from the National Prosecuting Authority.

“With these inquests, we open very real wounds which are more difficult to open 30 years into our democracy, but none the less, the interest of justice can never be bound by time the truth must prevail,” said the Minister.

Regarding Luthuli, who was also Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the department said official reports found that he was struck down by a train “but the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear to this day”.

An inquest was held in September 1967 and an apartheid era court found that he had died following a fracture to the skull but that the “evidence did not disclose any criminal culpability on the part of South African Railways and anyone else”.

“As a result of representations made to the National Director of Public Prosecutions which brought to the fore that in 1967, the inquest did not consider certain mathematical and scientific principles. This mathematical and scientific report reveal that it is highly unlikely that Chief Luthuli was struck by a train and died because of that.

“Considering this information, amongst others, and the investigation done by the Truth and Reconciliation Unit of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, Minister Lamola accepts and agrees that it is necessary and in the interest of justice to approach the Judge President of the High Court of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal Division to re-open the inquest into the death of Chief Albert Luthuli,” the department said.

Griffiths Mxenge

The anti-Apartheid activist and civil rights lawyer Mxenge died in 1981 and his body – with some 45 lacerations – was found at a sports field in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal.

Two years later, an inquest into the death was opened which, according to the department, “failed to identify the perpetrators, despite clear signs of foul play, including evidence of surveillance on Mr. Mxenge’s office and the poisoning of his dogs”.

“A thorough investigation was not done into the death of Mr. Mxenge. The Harms Commission and Truth and Reconciliation Commission revealed that orders to kill Mr. Mxenge came from Vlakplaas head Dirk Coetzee. Dirk Coetzee and his accomplices Nofomela, and Tshikalanga were granted amnesty for the murder of Mxenge.

“There is new evidence that certain critical information was not presented to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the initial inquest, although the perpetrators were clearly identified. Minister Lamola accepts that it is necessary and in the interest of justice to approach the Judge President of the High Court of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal Division to re-open the inquest into the death of Mr Mxenge,” the department said.

Booi Mantyi

Mantyi was killed on 16 June 1985 during an alleged altercation with Apartheid era police at De Aar in the Northern Cape.

That same year, an inquest was held into Mantyi’s death with the outcome finding no one responsible.

The department explained that a fresh investigation “has revealed that an eyewitness who has not previously testified has been identified”.

“Considering the above, Minister Lamola is of the view that it is necessary and in the interests of justice to request the Judge President of the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape Division to re-open an inquest into the death of Mr Booi Mantyi,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Tue, 05/14/2024 - 09:39

595 views

15 February 2024

Northern Cape man sentenced for child pornography

Location: News

Northern Cape man sentenced for child pornography

The South African Police Service (SAPS) Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola has welcomed the eight year sentence handed down to a 45-year-old for possession of child pornographic material.

This as the De Aar Regional Court sentenced John Henry Meiring on Wednesday.

Lieutenant-General Otola commended Lieutenant Colonel Marli Strydom for her relentless efforts that led to the arrest of the accused on 22 February 2022 and for the conviction and sentencing.

The South African Police Service, Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI), a specialised unit within Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) in the Northern Cape, discovered that the accused was in possession of pornographic images of children.

The accused's cell phone and hard drives were seized for investigation purposes. During the analysis of the exhibits, 773 pornographic images of children were found on the devices.

Addressing crimes against women, children and vulnerable persons remains a top priority for the SAPS in the province. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Thu, 02/15/2024 - 09:34

158 views

30 November 2023

Preferred bidders for Battery Storage IPP bid window one announced

Location: News

Preferred bidders for Battery Storage IPP bid window one announced

The announcement of the four preferred bidders under the first bid window of the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Procurement (BESIPPP) Programme marks a “significant development” in South Africa’s pursuit for energy security.

This is according to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s written remarks at the announcement of the bidders on Thursday.

The preferred bidders were selected following an independent evaluation of the bid submissions process held between August and October this year.

“This first grid-scale energy storage programme in South Africa marks yet another important step towards the development of adequate electricity generation capacity to meet the country’s demand as set out in the Integrated Resource Plan (2019).

“The site-specific BESIPPPP Programme Bid Window 1 is designed to facilitate the procurement of up to 513 megawatts (MW) from facilities that will provide Capacity, Energy and Ancillary Services to Eskom at 5 specified sites, therefore only one Preferred Bidder is appointed per site,” Mantashe said.

The four preferred bidders, chosen from a cohort of at least 17, are:

Oasis Aggeneis
Mogobe BESS
Oasis Mookodi
Oasis Nieuwehoop

Mantashe said based on the department’s benchmarking exercise, a fifth bidder is expected to be appointed.

“The appointed preferred bidders have all made economic development commitments, notwithstanding the fact that such commitments were not mandatory for this BESIPPPP BW1 round. The preferred bidders have committed to creating a total of 992 job opportunities for South African citizens (measured in job years), during construction and operations.

“These projects will further spend over R3.2 billion on local content and over R4.4 billion on preferential procurement from BBBEE, black enterprises, QSEs and ESEs and on enterprise development initiatives over the life-time of the projects,” he said.

The Minister announced that project agreements have been signed with an additional bidder under the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP).

The 75MW project is expected to be located in De Aar, Northern Cape and offers a hybrid Solar PV and Battery Storage technology solution.

“The project anticipates reaching commercial close by mid-December 2023, and will start the 24-month construction phase in early 2024. The new generation capacity should therefore be online from early 2026.

“With the signing of this additional project, the total number of projects that have signed agreements under the RMIPPPP have now increased to 6 out of the eleven appointed Preferred bidders, which will add a total of 428MW of dispatchable capacity to the national grid,” he said.

Other IPP programmes

The Minister said that following the opening of several bid windows, at least 1384MW of new generating capacity – all at different stages of the process – have been secured.

“At least nine projects under Bid Window 5 of the Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) have now reached commercial close and are in construction. Three more projects are expected to reach commercial close in due course. In total, these projects will add a further 1 234 MW to the national grid from 2025 onwards.

“Moving to Bid Window 6, the 6 preferred bidders that were appointed in December 2022 are finalising all conditions precedent to reaching legal and commercial close. As previously communicated, the unavailability of grid capacity is a major constraint faced by all projects, resulting in delayed project closures.

“[The] department is in the process of finalising governance approvals for the release of the requests for the procurement of additional generation capacity under Bid Window 7 of the REIPPPP, Gas-to-Power, and Battery Storage.

“Further announcements in this regard will follow in the next two weeks,” the Minister added. – SAnews.gov.za

NeoB
Thu, 11/30/2023 - 15:13

419 views

31 October 2023

Colossal Concrete Products reopens De Aar plant, boosts revival of rail and infrastructure development

Location: Business

Colossal Concrete Products, a Level 1 B-BBEE company and the largest manufacturer of railway sleepers in Southern Africa, with a proud 64-year track record, reopened its mothballed De Aar factory in October. This eagerly anticipated move follows the recent conclusion of a 1-year contract with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) to supply precast concrete railway sleepers …

19 October 2023

Concrete progress

Location: Business

Colossal Concrete Products have reopened their De Aar plant, boosting the revival of rail and infrastructure development. Colossal Concrete Products, a Level 1 B-BBEE company and the largest manufacturer of railway sleepers in Southern Africa, with a proud 64-year track record, reopened its mothballed De Aar factory in October. This eagerly anticipated move follows the …