Coega Green Ammonia has taken another major step forward announcing successful Environmental Impact Assessment Records of Decision for it’s $750m /R14bn, 1230MW Crossroads Green Energy cluster.
The group of nine solar PV projects, situated in the very high solar yield De Aar area in South Africa, will now commence with the next stage of the grid connection workstream.
The Crossroads Green Energy Development Team: L to R – Zander van der Walt (Hive Hydrogen) Venance da Silva (Africoast), Constant Prassette (Akuo Energy Afrique), Kennett Sinclair (Golden Sunshine), Trevor Donian (Hive Hydrogen) Maxime Savinelli (Akuo Energy Afrique), John Francis (Africoast) and Donald McGillivray (Africoast) celebrate the project achievements at Vanderkloof Dam, close to the Solar PV sites
This Giga scale solar project is the product of the co-development consortium made up of Hive Hydrogen, Akuo Energy Afrique, Africoast Investments, and Golden Sunshine Trading, which was sealed earlier this year and has been working towards this milestone for the past two years.
Thulani Gcabashe, Chairman of Hive Hydrogen SA, remarked: “The Crossroads Green Energy team has developed this project on time and well within budget – the professionalism and dedication everyone has shown is truly exceptional.”
Don McGillivray, of Africoast Investments added: “Africoast, Golden Sunshine Trading, and Akuo Energy are co-developing a 6000 MW pipeline of solar energy and wind energy projects, notably for the Coega Green Ammonia projects. The Crossroads Green Energy cluster is being developed for phase 1 of the Coega Green Ammonia Project, while the remaining projects will are moving through a phased development to meet the future demand in Coega and potential other offtakes. We are proud to be working together with Hive Energy to realise these strategic projects.’’
Hive Energy’s $5,8bn (R105bn) green ammonia project, producing over 1 million tons a year, is a flagship investment project in South Africa tabled at the Presidential Investment Summit in Sandton, South Africa and awarded Strategic Integrated Project Status by the Ministry of Public Works in November 2022. The project will bring a significant economic boost to South Africa and the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape Provinces.
Hive Hydrogen South Africa is co-founded by Hive Energy and BuiltAfrica. Hive Energy, headquartered in the UK, is the 75% stakeholder of Hive Hydrogen SA and is the principal funder and co-developer of the project which located in Midrand, Gauteng and Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape. Hive Energy was founded in 2010 by Giles Redpath to participate in the significant solar PV expansion across England. The company now operates in 22 countries globally with its largest projects in Spain. Hive is developing six green hydrogen/ammonia projects globally. Once complete, the Hive projects will have the capacity to produce some 8,500,000 tons of hydrogen/ammonia each year to support the global drive to net-zero emissions by 2050. The Hive Energy Group is recognised internationally as a trusted partner in the development, construction, and operation of large-scale renewable energy projects. Hive is known for its innovative approach and market leading vision across the renewable energy, circular economy, and Green Hydrogen industries. Hive has established some of the world’s leading solar projects, including the UK’s largest solar park, and is developing one of the world’s largest Green Ammonia plants in South Africa and the first Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Hub in Spain. In addition to its six giga scale Green Hydrogen/ammonia projects Hive is currently developing over 28,000 MW of renewable energy projects. To date, Hive’s projects have generated over £1.9billion capital expenditure in green energy projects, saving over 1.2m tonnes of CO2 each year.
BuiltAfrica has a 25% stake in Hive Hydrogen South Africa and is a co-developer. It is a renewable energy development company based in South Africa and was founded by Thulani Gcabashe in 2009 as an investment and development business focused on sectors that support sustainable development. In its first 10 years, the Group focused on developing renewable energy projects in South Africa, having successfully participated in the early rounds of renewable energy procurement under the South African government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP). During this period two solar generation plants were built and are in operation. In addition to this, the BuiltAfrica Group was involved in energy efficiency projects aimed at lowering peak demand on the power system.
Thulani Gcabashe served as Chairman of the Standard Bank Group, and the Standard Bank of South Africa from 2015 – 2022 and is the current chairman of Hive Hydrogen SA. He began his career as a town and regional planner in 1982. After practicing as a director with a firm of architects and town planners he joined the national power utility Eskom in 1993. In 1999 he was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of Eskom, and Chairman Eskom Enterprises and served on the Eskom Management Board and the Electricity Council. In 2000 he become the Chief Executive of Eskom, a position he served in until 30 April 2007. In 2008 he founded the BuiltAfrica Group and has served as the Executive Chairman since inception.
Akuo is an independent global renewable energy producer and developer. The Group is present across the entire value chain: development, financing, construction, and operation. As of today, Akuo has a total capacity of 1.7 GW in operation or under construction and a total project portfolio of over 20 GW. With more than 450 employees, the Group, which is headquartered in Paris, France, develops projects in more than twenty countries around the world.
Afri-Coast Investments is a leading renewable energy developer in South Africa, headquartered in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Among its references, Africoast has successfully developed the 27 MW MetroWind van Stadens and 80 MW Kouga Wind Farm under REI4P in Bid Window 1 and the 110 MW Gibson Bay project developed and won in Bid Window 3. Africoast maintains a 100 % success rate for wind projects submitted in the REI4P and currently has a development pipeline of renewable energy projects including solar, wind, hydro and biogas.
Golden Sunshine Trading is a development company based in the Northern and Eastern Cape that identifies high potential wind and solar sites in South Africa through negotiations with landowners and farmers.
