TotalEnergies Begins Construction of a 216 MW Hybrid Solar Plant in South Africa

TotalEnergies last month announced the commencement of construction on its hybrid renewables project in Northern Cape province, South Africa. The project comprises a 216 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery storage system. 

The project is being developed by a consortium of TotalEnergies (35%), Hydra Storage Holding (35%) and Reatile Renewables (30%) and is being deployed under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMRPPPP). 

In its statement, TotalEnergies noted that the project reached a financial close last December and is expected to commence operations in 2025. When completed “the plant will supply dispatchable renewable electricity to the South African national grid for twenty years, equivalent to over 400 GWh per year.”

Under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) TotalEnergies signed with Eskom last November, the project will supply 75 MW of dispatchable power to the national utility continuously from 5 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.

Vincent Stoquart, the Senior Vice President, Renewables at TotalEnergies stated that the company is “pleased to launch this major solar power generation and storage project in South Africa. Thanks to its innovative hybrid design, it will enable us to supply continuous green electricity over a longer period and beyond the hours of sunshine. This project will not only contribute to the country’s energy transition but also to strengthening the resilience of its power system.” 

ENGIE wraps up BTE Renewables acquisition
Last December, ENGIE completed its acquisition of South African-based BTE Renewables from British sustainable infrastructure investor Actis. The deal which was first announced last July will see Engie own BTE’s South African portfolio consisting of five projects.  
Before the acquisition, ENGIE operated 300MW of clean energy assets in South Africa – 200MW of concentrating solar-thermal power plants (CSP), 21MW of solar PV, and 94 MW of onshore wind. The purchase increases ENGIE's operational assets by 340MW (150MW of onshore wind and 190MW of solar PV) and over 3GW of pipeline projects.
According to Actis, the sale of BTE Renewables is the investor's fifth energy platform exit in Africa. The investor says it has built and owned 5GW of generation capacity on the continent.