Ramokgopa welcomes addition of 150MW of power from NC plant to national grid

JOHANNESBURG - Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has welcomed the addition of 150 megawatts of dispatchable power to the national grid from the Kenhardt plants in the Northern Cape.

Ramokgopa attended the unveiling of the Scatec Solar plant on Thursday, which is one of the largest hybrid solar and battery storage projects in Africa.

The plant, built by Norwegian company Scatec ASA, is set to deliver dispatchable renewable energy from 5 am to 9.30 pm year-round to the national grid for the next 25 years.

The minister said the project formed part of the government's Energy Action Plan’s target of ending load shedding and creating energy security.

Ramakgopa said this was huge for South Africa:

"There is something remarkable about being the first, being the biggest, being a trailblazer, and that's what Scatec is to South Africa. So, we will say that it's the biggest renewable energy project that approximates base load conditions. We're the first on the continent."