Energy Consultancy ABL Group to Assess 2 GW RE in South Africa

ABL Group- an energy and marine consultancy – has said that it been contracted by various developers to provide energy yield assessment for more than 2 GW of potential solar and wind power plants in South Africa.

ABL said that about 1.5 GW of the energy yield assessment work is related to nine potential solar PV developments in South Africa. The remaining 500 MW is for two potential onshore wind farms.

The names of the projects or clients are yet to be disclosed by ABL. The group is headquartered in Cape Town and has presence in the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (SBIDZ).

Anne Myers, Country Manager – South Africa, ABL said, “South Africa has a leading role to play in the wider continent’s energy transition. It is second only to Morocco in Africa in terms of its energy transition commitments and technical potential.”

ABL held that the energy yield analysis services are being provided as part of technical due diligence into the proposed sites, to be submitted to the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The Programme is a state-led initiative to accelerate electricity generation from renewable energy sources including solar, onshore wind, small hydro, as well as landfill gas, biomass and biogas. If the bids are successful, they will proceed to financial close, followed by the construction phase.

Oliver Davies, ABL Group’s head of onshore wind, added, “The REIPPPP has successfully introduced multiple GWs of utility scale renewable energy across the country, but multiple delays and setbacks have stalled the realisation of projects and created major industry uncertainty. We are very pleased to be working with numerous IPPs on their submissions into Bid Window 6 of the REIPPPP.”

ABL’s onshore renewable energy consultants work closely with its sister company called OWC for offering energy yield analysis and resource modelling for onshore and offshore wind energy, plus fixed and floating solar PV. ABL said that the results of this service feed directly into more accurately projecting a site’s profitability, providing assurance and early risk mitigation to financial and other project stakeholders. ABL and OWC are both part of Oslo-listed energy consultancy group ABL Group ASA.