Upington - The Department of Trade and Industry, its Saudi Arabian counterpart, and energy project developer ACWA Power on Monday officially launched the Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project outside of Upington in the Northern Cape.

Located in Groblershoop – previously an economy dependent almost entirely on wine farming – the Bokpoort CSP has already and is predicted to continue to change the economic landscape of the region and its surrounds.

Here are a few facts about the plant to get you familiarised with the latest renewable energy project in South Africa:

— The project is valued at R5 billion and provides 50 megawatts per hour
— Bokpoort CSP is part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPPP) which, as a project, is rated third in the world
— ACWA Power, with its headquarter in Saudi Arabia, was awarded the preferred bidder status in 2013
— About 40 percent of the components at Bokpoort CSP were produced in South Africa
— Bokpoort CSP’s 50MW is equal to powering 21 000 households
— Power produced is fed to Eskom to help cover the country’s evening peak demand (17h00 to 21h00)
— Bokpoort CSP has a 9.3 hours thermal energy storage capacity, meaning it can work day and night
— There are over 8 600 collectors at the plant with more than 136 000 mirrors
— 30 000 tonnes of salt was brought in to Bokpoort for its operation
— At its construction peak, over 1 300 jobs were created at the plant, filled largely by the local community previously dependent on farm work.

Part of ACWA Power’s social development includes sending locals to technical colleges where they receive training for electrical work, as health and safety work, and welding.

In addition to this, schools have also received laptops while over 300 houses have been gifted solar panels.

In the pipeline for the region is a bakery and a park, swimming pool, and community hall.

ANA