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Eskom Holdings has reached a further milestone in delivering Eskom Green, the utility-scale renewable energy business that aims to accelerate the options available to South Africa’s industries to decarbonise, support the energy transition, strengthen productive capacity, and drive regional industrialisation. Eskom Green is set to increase the supply of renewable energy, enabling customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their energy consumption.

The programme forms part of Eskom's strategy to diversify generation technologies, support South Africa's energy transition and expand access to cleaner sources of electricity for customers.

The utility has launched a Request for Qualification (RFQ) process to identify and qualify experienced strategic renewable energy partners for the Phase 1 Programme of up to 6GW of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects. The RFQ is the first stage of the procurement process and will establish a panel of pre-qualified strategic partners who may be invited to participate in future project-specific procurement opportunities.

The Eskom Phase 1 Programme is an initial portfolio of up to 6GW of utility-scale renewable energy projects, spanning solar photovoltaic (PV), battery energy storage systems (BESS), wind and other renewable technologies. Eskom will contribute projects comprising at least 2GW of solar PV and 1GW / 4GWh of BESS, which may be complemented by projects owned or originated by the selected strategic partners. The strategic partners will form a panel of pre-qualified co-development and co-investment partners for development, financing and implementation for a period of five years.

The programme is intended to leverage private-sector capital, expertise and project-development capability, with project structures and funding arrangements to be determined on a project-by-project basis.

This RFQ relates to the pre-qualification of respondents who will ultimately be permitted, subject to the terms of the RFQ, for an opportunity to bid, subject to the contents of a future Request For Purchase (RFP), or RFPs, for an opportunity or opportunities to partner with Eskom Green as a Strategic Partner capable and willing to deliver part of or the entirety of Eskom Green’s Phase 1 programme. 

The RFQ process will select a panel of strategic partners to support Eskom-owned renewable energy and storage projects, including projects on Eskom-owned land and generation sites, and/or opportunities where Eskom partners with projects owned or originated by strategic partners, subject to project-specific evaluation and governance approvals.

As part of the RFQ process, the strategic partner must demonstrate the technical capability, development track record and financial capacity required to co-develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain a portfolio of utility-scale renewable energy projects in partnership with Eskom Holdings, or Eskom Green, pursuant to its incorporation. 

Eskom Green offers prospective partners a compelling platform, including a substantial pipeline of solar PV, wind and BESS projects, with sites and land rights at varying stages of maturity. Eskom Green further provides access to decades of power-generation skills and expertise, the ability to facilitate efficient routes to market and offtake structuring; and a national mandate and a long-term, large-scale development opportunity. 

Each project contributed by Eskom under the Phase 1 Programme has an allocated site, with associated land, environmental authorisations and grid connection access in progress and is anticipated to be housed in a ring-fenced Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), financed predominantly on a limited- or non-recourse project-finance basis and similarly to those projects that are expected from the strategic partner.

Issued by Eskom