Name of the Project
Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP) – Bid Window 3 (BW3).

Location
Free State, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Department of Electricity and Energy (previously the Department of Minerals Resources and Energy), and the Independent Power Producers (IPP) Office.

Project Description
The Department of Electricity and Energy released the request for proposals (RfP) for the BESIPPPP on March 28, 2024.

The RfP calls for a total of 616 MW/2 464 MWh of battery energy storage projects allocated to five preselected substation sites in the Free State – Harvard, Leander, Theseus, Everest and Merapi – identified by Eskom.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Thirty-three bids with a combined capacity of 4 067 MW/16 268 MWh across the five preselected substation sites, in the Free State, have been submitted.

The submission deadline was initially set for July 31, but was later revised to November 28.

The bids include:

1.    Laksman BESS (Everest MTS)
2.    Thaba BESS Consortium (Everest MTS)
3.    Erfdeel BESS (Everest MTS)
4.    Sibella BESS (Harvard MTS)
5.    Fennel BESS (Harvard MTS)
6.    Pepper BESS (Harvard MTS)
7.    Oasis Harvard (Harvard MTS)
8.    Good Hope BESS (Harvard MTS)
9.    Caraway BESS (Harvard MTS)
10.    Turmeric BESS Consortium (Harvard MTS)
11.    Vanilla BESS (Harvard MTS)
12.    Nutmeg Energy facility (Harvard MTS)
13.    Hero BESS (Leander MTS)
14.    Haru BESS (Leander MTS)
15.    Ataru BESS (Leander MTS)
16.    Callisto BESS Consortium (Leander MTS)
17.    Elsinore BESS (Leander MTS)
18.    Phobos Energy facility (Leander MTS)
19.    Ganymede BESS BW3 (Leander MTS)
20.    Chives BESS (Merapi MTS)
21.    Saffron BESS (Merapi MTS)
22.    Oasis Merapi (Merapi MTS)
23.    Oasis Theseus (Merapi MTS)
24.    Parsley BESS (Merapi MTS)
25.    De Hoop BESS Consortium (Merapi MTS)
26.    Retreat BESS (Merapi MTS)
27.    Thyme Energy Facility (Merapi MTS)
28.    Rasalas BESS (Theseus MTS)
29.    Clove BESS Consortium (Theseus MTS)
30.    Bloemhoek BESS (Theseus MTS)
31.    Bokmakierie Energy Facility (Theseus MTS)
32.    Janfrederik BESS BW3 (Theseus MTS)
33.    Acamas BESS (Theseus MTS)

Confirmation of the bid submissions follows recent announcements that four projects selected as preferred bidders during BW1 have advanced to financial close, while a fifth project is expected to close in early 2025.

Preferred bidders from BW2 are expected to be named in the coming weeks.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Department of Electricity and Energy, tel + 27 12 406 7788 or email info@energy.gov.za.
IPP Office, email query@ipp-storage.co.za.