Voltalia has started construction on the 148MW solar power plant just two months after signing a private offtaker power purchase agreement (PPA) with Richards Bay Minerals (RBM).
In October 2022, Voltalia entered into a CPPA2 with Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), South Africa’s largest mineral sands producer and a subsidiary of the British-Australian metals and mining group, Rio Tinto. The 20-year PPA will supply approximately 300 gigawatt hours of renewable energy each year to RBM’s production facilities in KwaZulu-Natal.
It will be the largest South African renewable power plant dedicated to the energy needs of a corporate client. Located in the northeast of the country in the province of Limpopo, the plant will be completed in 2024, and its production will represent a volume equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 425,000 inhabitants, avoiding more than 237,000 tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to removing approximately 50,000 cars from the road.
This new construction is fully in line with Voltalia’s mission, with a positive impact on both the environment and the local community. Local labour will be employed both for the construction and for the operational monitoring of the plant. Voltalia will source goods and services locally as much as possible.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
