A consortium made up of the Amulet group and LTM Energy has been appointed to build a photovoltaic solar power plant at the port of Richards Bay in South Africa from June 2024. The project is part of a programme to decarbonise eight South African ports using renewable energies.
Mining, transport, industry… the energy transition is continuing in several sectors in South Africa. The port sector is getting in on the act, with the first project at the port of Richards Bay in the province of KwaZulu-Natal due to come on stream in June 2024. The project involves a photovoltaic solar power plant to be built by a consortium made up of the Amulet group and LTM Energy.
The two companies were chosen by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a call for tenders for the design, construction, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of a 20 MW solar photovoltaic power plant with a battery-based electricity storage system. “The introduction of a renewable energy solution into the port system will reduce carbon and greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity,” explains Moshe Motlohi, TNPA’s managing director for ports in the eastern region.
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This project is part of TNPA’s programme to deploy 100 MW of renewable energy at South Africa’s eight commercial seaports. According to TNPA, this initiative supports South Africa’s commitment to finding ways to move to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. Construction of the solar power plant at the Port of Richards Bay will begin this June 2024, with commissioning scheduled for May 2026.
Once operational, the solar power plant and its storage system “will also provide a cost-effective and reliable energy supply for the port and its users”, says Moshe Motlohi. It is therefore a choice alternative for port infrastructures in the face of the power cuts that have been affecting several parts of the South African economy for several months.
Jean Marie Takouleu
