AIR Products South Africa has concluded a long-term Power Purchase Agreement with Mulilo Renewable Project Developments which will see the company purchasing up to 75 MW of renewable energy from a dedicated solar farm, which is to be constructed in the Northern Cape.
The solar farm will be jointly owned by Air Products and Mulilo and Financial Close is anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2023. The facility will have the capacity to generate approximately 240 GWh of electricity annually.
The electricity will be supplied by wheeling from the solar farm to Air Products’ Air Separation Units in various locations around the country. According to Air Products managing director, Rob Richardson, “Air separation is an electrically intensive process and electricity is our most important raw material. This agreement is a significant step towards meeting our medium-term goal, which is to reduce fossil-fuel-based energy requirements and CO2 emissions by one-third by 2030. This project, once completed, will get us a long way down that path, with more to come”.
Mulilo CEO, John Cullum, noted: “Mulilo is excited to partner with Air Products on this important project. This will be one of the first large-scale wheeling solar projects in South Africa and continues to cement Mulilo as a leading renewable energy supplier in the country. This project is furthermore an important step in ending loadshedding in South Africa, where the private sector has the ability to play an important role”.
Air Products South Africa (Pty) Limited manufactures, supplies and distributes a diverse portfolio of atmospheric gases, speciality gases, equipment and services to the Southern African region.
Mulilo is a renewable energy developer and independent power producer with a specific focus on wind and solar photovoltaic projects. Mulilo was founded in 2008 and has seen sustained growth since then.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its New Markets Fund I, is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in Mulilo. Founded in 2012, CIP today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X.
