MULILO SAYS MIDDLEPUNT PV PLANT TO SUPPLY CHEAPEST REIPPPP-PROCURED ELECTRICITY.

An artist impression of the Middlepunt solar PV plant

Photo by Mulilo

South African independent powerproducer Mulilo reports that its 337 MWdc Middlepunt solarPV plant will deliver electricity at R458/MWh when it enters into commercial operation in the coming 24 months – the cheapest electricity procured to date under South Africa’s public bidding rounds.

Located near Welkom in the Free State, Mulilo CEO Jan Fourie reports that the R4.4-billion project is also the first project procured under Bid Window 7 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, or REIPPPP, to have advanced to financial close.

During Bid Window 7, the initial aim was to procure 5 000 MW of new renewables capacity, but 3 940 MW was ultimately procured in 2025 across 18 PV projects only, with grid constraints having prevented any new wind project awards.

With a contracted export capacity of 240 MWac, Middlepunt has concluded a 20-year power purchase agreement with the National Transmission Company South Africa, and construction is under way.

Once in operation, the PV facility is expected to supply about 770 GWh yearly into the national grid when it is connected through the Everest Main Transmission Substation.

“The electricity supplied to the South African grid is priced at R458/MWh (approximately $27/MWh) . . . [It] ranks among the most affordable green energy available anywhere in the world,” Fourie says.

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