President Cyril Ramaphosa is confident that the Saudi-funded US$667-million solar plant under construction in South Africa’s Northern Cape province will go a long way in addressing the country’s power shortages.
The president said this following his walkabout at the new 100-megawatt (MW) Redstone Solar Plant in Postmansburg in the province.
The solar project is part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) which aims to bring additional megawatts onto the country’s grid through private sector investment in wind, biomass and small hydro-electric power stations, among others.
The REIPPP comprises 92 projects across the country – with a collective generation capacity of 6,296 MW, to which the Northern Cape contributes 3,563 MW with some 3,249 MW already operational, the presidency said.
Addressing reporters, Ramaphosa paid tribute to the Saudi Arabian government for funding the project in hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Much as we are still dealing with the challenges of load shedding with Eskom, if we look through the tunnel, we can see the light,” the president said.
“We are going to resolve our energy challenges,” he said.
According to Ramaphosa, more than US$667 million was injected into the project by the Saudi Arabian government.
The contribution has further cemented relations between the two countries, with President Ramaphosa having recently returned from an official visit to Saudi Arabia, which his officials described as “a success.”
During last week’s visit, the two countries signed 17 memoranda of understanding in various fields such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, renewable energy, security, transport and aquaculture.
NM/jn/APA