Proposed addition to the Delta Solar Power Plant, near Bloemhof, North West province

The Delta Solar Power Project has been selected as the preferred bidder and will form part of the DMREs Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) Programme. The REIPPP Programme aims to secure 14 725 Megawatts (MW) of new generation capacity from renewable energy sources, while simultaneously diversifying South Africa’s electricity mix. According to the 2021 State of the Nation Address, Government will soon be initiating the procurement of an additional 11 800 MW of power from renewable energy, natural gas, battery storage and coal in line with the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 and fulfilling their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement which include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Eskom, the largest greenhouse gas emitter of South Africa, has committed in principle to net zero emissions by 2050 and to increase its renewable capacity.
In response to the above, an 84 MW PV solar facility namely Delta Solar Power Plant was proposed and consequently approved on the Remaining Extent of the farm Kareefontein 340, Registration Division HO, North West situated within the Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality area of jurisdiction (the “Original Delta Site”). This application relates to the addition to the approved project. The additional site will comprise an area of 19.9 hectares (including supporting infrastructure on site) to generate approximately 19.9 MW. The site proposed for the addition is located adjacent the eastern boundary of the original Delta SPP site.
The town of Bloemhof is located approximately 9 km east of the proposed development (refer to Figure A and B for the locality and regional map). The total footprint of the project will approximately be 200 hectares (including supporting infrastructure on site). The site was identified as being highly desirable due to its suitable climatic conditions, topography (i.e., in terms of slope), environmental conditions (i.e., agricultural potential, geology and archaeology), proximity to a grid connection point (i.e., for the purpose of electricity evacuation), as well as site access (i.e., to facilitate the movement of machinery, equipment, infrastructure and people during the construction phase).