BTE Renewables takes over Prieska solar project in South Africa

BTE Renewables has announced the takeover of Prieska solar PV plant project in South Africa following the acquisition of Sonnedix Solar South Africa, the subsidiary of Sonnedix, an independent power producer (IPP) based in London, UK.

In South Africa, Sonnedix is one of the companies involved in the implementation of the ambitious Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP). As part of REIPPP, Sonnedix has partnered with South African IPP Mulilo Renewable Energy to establish Mulilo Sonnedix Prieska PV. This is the ad hoc company that developed the Prieska solar project in the Northern Cape.

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Prieska solar project

Prieska solar project covers an area of 125 hectares of agricultural land. The electricity produced (75 MWp) in Prieska has been fed into the grid of the state-owned company Eskom since the solar plant was commissioned in 2016.

By acquiring Sonnedix Solar South Africa, BTE now has a 60% stake in the Prieska solar PV plant. The remaining shares are owned by Mulilo Energy Holdings (20%), Ixowave (15%), and Prieska PV Community Trust (5%).

“This acquisition clearly demonstrates our commitment to growing our portfolio of renewable energy assets, as it complements our organic growth from our strong development pipeline. The Prieska project is a natural fit with our two solar PV plants in the same region of South Africa,” said Robert Skjodt, BTE’s managing director.

The company, which is wholly owned by the British investment company Actis, now has an installed capacity of 473 MW. Among its six projects in operation is the Kipeto wind farm, which will be commissioned in 2021 in the foothills of the Ngong Hills in Kajiado County, about 30 km south-west of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. BET also operates the 120 MW Golden Valley and 32.5 MW Excelsior wind farms.