DMRE Invites Bids for Battery Energy Storage in Northern Cape, Africa

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has invited interested parties to register prospective bids under the Battery Energy Storage Capacity Bid Window of the Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (Battery Energy Storage IPPPP).

The bid submission is scheduled for 5 July 2023, closing at 17:00.

The programme aims to procure up to 513 megawatts (MW) of storage capacity to provide capacity, energy, and ancillary services while contributing to socio-economic and environmentally sustainable growth. The Battery Energy Storage (BES) IPP Procurement Programme has been designed to continue the successes of the IPP Procurement Programme.

All interconnecting transmission substations forming part of the BES IPP Procurement Programme are located in the Northern Cape, as specified by Eskom. Bidders are required to submit one bid response in respect of one energy storage substation to which they would like their facility to connect and make available capacity, energy, and ancillary services in line with the rules of the RFP. The department intends to select a single preferred bidder in respect of each energy storage substation.

Prior to accessing the RFP, each prospective bidder is required to pay a non-refundable documentation fee of R 25000 per prospective project and complete an electronic registration. The DMRE will communicate only with prospective bidders that have completed the electronic registration form and paid the required document fee.

Battery Energy Storage is among various technologies espoused in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019) which seeks to promote a diversified energy mix that would reduce reliance on a single or a few primary energy sources.

The DMRE intends to host a Bidder’s Conference with prospective bidders prior to the bid submission, and the details will be communicated in due course. The BES IPP Procurement Programme is open to the worldwide public and is not restricted to bidders comprised only of citizens and South African entities.