- The 75MW Waterloo Solar power plant comprises of 261,360 solar modules and will provide electricity to 84,000 homes.
- The grid-tied plant will be maintained by juwi O&M subsidiary company for the first 5 years of operations.
- The plant will also help accelerate development in nearby communities via development programmes over the next 20 years.
The Waterloo Solar Power Plant in South Africa’s North West Province has started operations. The project which is operated by juwi Renewable Energies met the grid-code compliance on 21 November. The plant is part of the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. It will be operated and maintained on behalf of the owners, by the juwi O&M subsidiary company, during the first five years of operations.
The facility comprises of 261,360 solar modules with a total capacity of 75MW. The project is expected to provide power to 84,000 homes via the national grid each year. The project will also accelerate development in rural communities located within 50km of the plant through economic development programmes. Over the course of its 20-year lifespan, it is expected that the project will empower the local communities of Vryburg, Kismet Park, Huhudi, Colridge and Dithakwaneng within the Naledi Local Municipal area.
The facility was constructed in under two years and is connected to the national grid at Eskom’s Mookodi switching station. The construction phase of the plant provided over 500 direct employment for members of the surrounding communities.
The Waterloo Solar Plant is owned by African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM, a member of Old Mutual Alternative Investments) through its IDEAS Fund, Reatile Solar Power (RF) (Pty) Ltd, Phakwe Solar (RF) (Pty) Ltd, AREP (African Rainbow Energy and Power) and Cicada Community Trust.