Sasol, a South Africa-based integrated chemicals and energy company, has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to develop two solar projects of 10 MW at its Secunda and Sasolburg facilities.

The last date for the submission of bids is October 2, 2020.

The scope of work includes the design, finance, construction, operation, and maintenance (O&M) of solar projects. The successful bidder will also have to provide infrastructure to supply power from the solar projects to Sasol’s operations.

In its press statement, Sasol said that the company would sign a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the successful bidder to supply electricity to its facilities. The company said it is committed to secure 600 MW of renewable energy capacity eventually, and this tender is the first step in that direction.

“We are excited to launch the RfP, which forms part of our broader greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction aspiration and moves us forward on our journey to achieving our target of a 10% GHG emission reduction by 2030,” said Hermann Wenhold, Chief Sustainability Officer at Sasol.

According to Mercom India Research, projects emerging from South Africa have received $2.8 billion in funding since 2012.

Meanwhile, Eskom Holdings SOC Limited, a South African power utility, has floated a tender for a battery energy storage system with a minimum of 80 MW/320 MWh usable capacity at South Africa’s Skaapvlei substation, in Western Cape, Vredendal. The last date for the submission of bids is September 11, 2020.

In July 2020, ArcelorMittal South Africa, a steel producer, had issued a request for information to recruit independent power producers to set up solar power projects at six locations in South Africa.

The company planned to enter into power purchase agreements with power producers to build, own, and operate solar projects at Vanderbijlpark, Newcastle, Vereeniging, Pretoria, Thabazimbi, and Saldanha. These projects would be used to supply low-cost power for its operations across these sites.