The South African power utility Eskom plans to issue a request for proposals (RfP) for the supply of gas to the 735 MW Ankerlig and 740 MW Gourikwa open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) power plants in the Western Cape, which currently produce electricity using diesel. The company intends to operate the power plants at a relatively low capacity factor, which was unlikely to justify the cost of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and new pipeline infrastructure.
n addition, the company has initiated a bidding process for the leasing of generation land in Mpumalanga to independent power producers (IPPs), aiming to unlock 1,000 MW. South Africa recently authorised sub-100 MW private generation projects to proceed without a licence, including projects that will sell electricity to non-related third parties and use the grid to wheel power.