Solar plant in Bushveld sufficient for 40 000 families

SELEKA – Communications Minister, Faith Muthambi visited the R850-billion solar power plant run by Italian company Enel Energies between Seleka and Tom Burke approximately 5 kilometers from the Botswana border on Monday.
The power plant is expected to be completed in March 2016 and to be fully operational in August 2016. “The project covers an area of 148 hectares and will supply 66 megawatts of power that will be sufficient for the needs of about 40 000 South African families,” said the power plant’s CEO Lamberto Dai Pra.
“This project is one of many highlighted by President Jacob Zuma in his nine point plan in August,” said Muthambi. The nine point plan focusses on resolving the energy challenge and also revitalising agriculture and the agro-processing value chain.
According to Dai Pra, Enel is not only concerned with providing a fully functional power plant but also want to contribute positively to the area in which they are based. “We have one social development project where we want to provide free wifi to certain rural areas and another project where we encourage HIV positive mothers to become mentors for other HIV positive women.”
Muthambi stressed that projects by the energy company should focus on historically disadvantaged areas. “The rural areas have so much potential and capacity that is under used at this stage and I would really like to see big companies getting involved in these places.”
The power plant was a point of contention earlier this year when residents from Seleka held a protest outside the premises demanding that there should be no political interference when employing workers and that 50% of the workforce should be female.
According to Lephalale mayor, Jack Maeko, almost 99% of the workers at the power plant are local people.
“There are about 260 people working here and most of them come from the surrounding villages.”