South Africa’s Bokpoort CSP plant breaks African record for around the clock operation

ACWA Power, a leading Saudi Arabian developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants and lead shareholder in the Bokpoort CSP Plant, announced today that the Bokpoort CSP plant has become the first renewable facility on the continent to complete a full week of continuous round the clock operation. Bokpoort CSP set the new African continental benchmark achieving 13 days (312 hours) of continuous operations on 23 October 2020, almost double the previous record it had set in March 2016. This accomplishment was made possible by optimally managing 9.3 hours of the thermal salt storage system overnight, which allowed for a perfectly timed transition to the solar field every morning for the entire duration of this effort.

The 50 MW concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with thermal storage was commissioned during the 2nd bidding window of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) and has been setting consistent records since the commencement of its operation in 2016.