PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE LICHTENBURG 2 PV FACILITY, NORTH WEST PROVINCE

The authorised ABO Wind Lichtenburg 2 PV solar energy facility (‘the project’) is located 10km north of Lichtenburg and 7.5km south of Bakerville in the North West Province. The project is located within Ward 16 of the Ditsobotla Local Municipality and the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in the North West Province. The development footprint of the solar energy facility is located on Portion 23 of Farm Houthaalboomen No. 31 and the Remaining Extent of Portion 2 of Farm Zamenkomst No.4. It is within these properties that Lichtenburg 2 will be constructed and operated.
The following infrastructure was authorised for the project by DFFE, as fully assessed within the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process:
Photovoltaic modules with a net generation (contracted) capacity of 100MW;
On-site 88/132kV substation;
Mounting structures (fixed tilt/static, single-axis or double-axis tracking systems) for the PV arrays and related foundations;
DC/AC Inverters, LV/MV power transformers and internal electrical reticulation (underground cabling);
A new 88/132kV overhead power line from the on-site substation to the Mmabatho / Watershed DS 1 88kV Power Line;
Access and internal road network;
Temporary laydown area;
Auxiliary buildings (gate-house and security, control centre, office, two warehouses, canteen & visitors centre, rainwater tanks, etc);
Perimeter fencing; and
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), with a capacity of up to 500MW/500MWh, an extent of no more than 5ha, and a maximum height of 3.5m1.
The amendment being applied for through this process relates to the following:
a change in the capacity of the step-up/on-site substation from 88/132kV to 33/132kV;
an extension to the authorised Loop-in/Loop-out (LILO) grid connection corridor, within an assessed area to allow Lichtenburg 2 PV to connect to the collector substation complex on Lichtenburg 3 PVs authorized property/footprint; and
a substitution of the wording in the EA, ‘a new 132kV overhead power line from the on-site substation to the Mmabatho/Watershed DS 1 88kV power line’, with, ‘a new 132kV power line from Lichtenburg 2 PV’s step-up/on-site substation to the proposed collector substation complex on Lichtenburg 3 PV’.
Considering the above, it should be noted that the 132kV power line to be constructed from the step-up/on-site substation will terminate at the collector substation complex proposed on the authorised footprint for Lichtenburg 3 PV. This collector substation complex will be the point where all the electricity from Lichtenburg 2 PV and other projects2 is collected and is evacuated via a 132kV power line to the Eskom Watershed Substation. Thus, only one 132kV power line will be built from this collector substation complex terminating at the Eskom Watershed Substation.