Kathu Solar Energy Facility

Development of the Kathu Solar Energy Facility on a site which is located within the Gamagara local municipality, about 16km south-east of Kathu, in the Northern Cape. The project involves the establishment of a commercial solar energy facility that will generate electricity from solar radiation to provide power to the national electricity grid. The development site covers an extent of around 7km², on which a series of photovoltaic (PV) panels are proposed, with a maximum generating capacity of 100 MW. This will include the construction of a cluster of up to 9 PV arrays, with and without a concentrating functionality; internal electrical reticulation, most likely to be buried around 400mm to 1 000mm underground; an on-site substation and generator transformer to step up the power generated by the PV panels and to facilitate the connection between the facility itself and the Eskom electricity grid; a loop-in/loop-out electrical connection with the Mamatwane–Wincantan 132 kV power line; internal access roads; and a workshop area for maintenance and storage.