The government of South Africa will shortly open a request for proposals for up to 2600MW of new wind and solar projects.
President President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement in his 2021 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 11 February.
A second bid window will be opened in August, Ramaphosa said.
The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) welcomed the announcement saying the president had “actively prioritised the role of increasing new power generation over the next five years, in order to close the current capacity gap”.
SAWEA chief executive Ntombifuthi Ntuli said: “The industry is reassured to receive such strong support from the president for a second year running, as he acknowledged the key role that the country’s renewable industry has to play in delivering power and supporting economic recovery, by closing the ever increasing electricity supply capacity gap.
“We would like to commend the President for following through with all the commitments he made in the 2020 SONA, all the work that was done in the policy and regulatory space makes it possible for him to confidently announce the next bidding windows for renewables.
“Policy certainty and transparent decision-making cannot be overstated as the value of the leadership will drive the return of investor confidence, both foreign and domestic at a time that the country desperately needs to accelerate its economic recovery.”