Having secured the approval of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), American multinational technology company, Amazon, embarks on a flagship renewable energy project using Eskom utility grid to wheel 28GWh of solar power to Amazon’s data center facility annually.
SOLA Group will be responsible for developing the project in South Africa and will build, own, and operate the 10MW solar facility.
Investment in the project is predominantly backed by Africans with Mahlako a Phahla Investment holding company, owning 45% stake alongside African Infrastructure Investment Managers, through the Ideas Fund, one of the largest local investors in renewable energy. According to Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and CEO, “Amazon is helping fight climate change by moving quickly to power our businesses with renewable energy.”
Chris Haw, executive director at the SOLA Group, further explains that “This Wheeling Use of System Agreement is the first of its kind and the largest solar PV wheeling arrangement in South Africa to date.”