The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has granted licences to four solar projects with a planned cumulative installed capacity in excess of 1 GW.

The projects include the 278 MW Sculptor Energy, with a contracted capacity of 240 MW. It is set to developed by Cape Town-headquartered Red Rocket SA in the province of Mpumalanga, eastern South Africa.

Red Rocket SA will also develop a further two of the awarded projects, the 277 MW Springhaas Solar Facility 1 with a contracted capacity of 240 MW and the 206 MW Springhaas Solar Facility 6 with a contracted capacity of 170 MW, both to be built in South Africa’s Free State.

The final project awarded a licence is the 288 MW Corona Energy facility, with a contracted capacity of 240 MW, to be developed by France’s Engie in South Africa’s Free State.

The contracted capacity across the four projects totals 890 MW.

NERSA has granted the four licenses under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP) bid window 7.3.

Bid window 7 of South Africa’s flagship procurement program initially closed in December 2024 with the announcement of eight preferred solar bidders. An additional six solar projects were approved last July following the reallocation of unused wind capacity and a further four were given the green light last December.

NERSA’s latest update says it received licence applications for the four newly-approved solar projects in January. It invited public comments and scheduled a virtual public hearing for May 7, which was ultimately cancelled as no objections to the projects were received.

The regulator says each of the projects is compliant against its technical, financial, economic, regulatory and legal requirements.

“The approval of the generation licences for the four REIPPPP projects will contribute to enhancing South Africa’s electricity generation capacity,” NERSA’s statement adds. “The decision will also support broader national development objectives, including job creation, social upliftment, local industry development and increased opportunities for economic ownership.”

The amount of solar approved under the seventh bid REIPPPP window, including the three additional allocations, now stands close to 5 GW.

South Africa’s cumulative solar capacity now stands in excess of 10 GW, after deploying 1.6 GW last year.