MechChem Africa May-June 2021

⎪ PowerGen, PetroChem and sustainable energy management ⎪

G7 Energy facility preferred bidder in RMIPPPP Co-founder of G7 Renewable Energies and director of Oya Energy, Killian Hagemann welcomes Gwede Mantashe’s announcement of the winners of the Government’s Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). D eveloped by G7 Renewable Energies, the128MWOyaEnergy Hybrid Facility in the Karoo has been awarded Preferred Bidder together with relative proximity to the na- tional grid. The project also falls within the Komsberg Renewable Energy Development Zone (REDZ).

completionof theproject.”He further explains that: “WithOya, we are pushing the boundar- ies of what renewable energy can provide to electricity grids, not only in South Africa but around theworld.While in the past fewyears these technologies have proven to be the cheapest formof generation, some observers continue to criticisewind and solar for its lack of reliability and dependability, especially at times when the grid is under strain. Through its unique combination of co-located wind turbines and PV arrays with a large battery, Oya can provide some power on demand at a lower cost than flexible gas projects and practically without any harmful CO 2 or other emissions, bringing us closer to our 2050 vi- sionof poweringSouthAfrica’s electricitygrid on 100% renewables.” As early as 2009, G7 identified and se- cured various high potential sites across the country with the help of its ground-breaking first comprehensive windmap of the country basedonamesoscalemodel. Thekey strength of Oya’s location is its natural resources

G7 Director Nicolas Rolland says that the site was selected after years of an extensive and rigorous investigation. “The ideal site of- fers several favourable factors such as wind and solar resources and their complemen- tarity, suitable topography, grid proximity and capacity, accessibility, as well as limited environmental and permitting constraints,” he says. “Oya embraces all aspects of the RiskMitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, acknowledging that theprogramme aims toact as a keydriver for long term economic development in local communities.” Construction of the Oya Energy Hybrid Project should start before the end of 2021 with a fast-tracked completion date of no longer than18months thereafter tohelpease South Africa’s power crisis. www.g7energies.com

status in the South African Government’s RiskMitigation IPPProcurement Programme (RMIPPPP). “This is an importantmilestone forG7.We are incredibly proud of our teamand grateful for the support of our world-class partners,” says G7 co-founder, Killian Hagemann. “It validates our ability to pivot our expertise to develop cutting edge hybrid renewable en- ergyprojects inSouthAfrica. After yearsofG7 spearheading thewind energy industry in the country, the opportunity of theRMIPPPP– to provide reliable, low cost, on demand power to South Africa – challenged us to pioneer beyond conventional parameters.” The Oya project is a unique hybrid facility that will be offering dispatchable renewable energy to Eskom. Oya Energy will own and operate the 128 MW plant near the town of Matjiesfontein, straddling the Western and Northern Cape Provinces. Oya will be the largest hybrid energy project in Africa and is unique in the world in terms of technology mix, size and price. The project will utilise co-located wind turbines, solar PV arrays, lithium-ion batteries and a hybrid controller that orchestrates all three technologies to provide rapidly dispatchable power to the grid as and when needed. Hagemann adds: “TheOya project match- es and exceeds government’s expectations as it is extremely competitivewhile still comply- ing with all the strict requirements set by the IPP office and its advisors, guaranteeing full compliance in terms of South African regula- tions. Value for money has played a key role in the design choices andoperational philoso- phy, and we look forward to the successful

G7’s Roggeveld wind farm, which, to date, has the lowest ever electricity tariff to have achieved financial close in South Africa.

Renergen well P007 strikes gas

Domestic natural gas and helium producer Renergen has announced a significant gas strike in well P007 at the base of the Karoo sediments, at a depth of just over 400 metres. Upon reaching thebaseof theKaroo sedi- ments, well P007penetratedanapproximate

6.0 m thick gas bearing and fractured sand- stone layer, which displaced the drilling fluid and started flowing gas to surface. The initial flowrateishigherthanalmostallotherexisting wells in the permit area, recordingmore than 200000 cubic feet per day. Gas samples have been collected to determine gas composition

andtheseinclude“anecstatic”heliumconcen- tration of 3.15%. “This is a big leap forward in corroborating our geological modelling of the Virginia Gas Project, and the potential additional supply of over 40 kg of helium per day from a single well is quite an outstanding result,”saysRenergenCEO,StefanoMarani. q

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