French power utility Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) has reached a significant milestone by achieving financial and commercial close for two 75-MW solar projects in South Africa, according to the company's announcement on Thursday.
The projects, Grootspruit PV in the Free State province and Graspan Solar PV in the Northern Cape, are developed in collaboration with Pele Green Energy under Bid Window Five (BW5) of South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
This achievement follows Engie's successful sealing of power purchase and implementation agreements with local utility Eskom and South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy a year ago.
Construction on both projects is set to commence early next year, with a target for commissioning by the end of 2025.
Engie already owns, operates, and maintains the 100-MW Xina Solar One and 100-MW Kathu Solar Park Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants in Pofadder and Kathu, respectively, in South Africa. The company also manages the 94-MW West Coast 1 wind farm, along with the Aurora and Vredendal solar photovoltaic (PV) parks, combining for a total capacity of 21 MW.
