Grinaker-LTA’s role in the Redstone Concentrated Solar Thermal (CSP) power plant project in the Northern Cape, which is the largest investment made to date in terms of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), consists of the construction of various permanent civils work. Abdool Shaikh, Managing Executive of Grinaker-LTA’s Civil Engineering division, said that President Ramaphosa, together with the client and an entourage comprising various government members and local dignitaries, took part in a site visit to Redstone CSP power plant in October. The 100 MW Redstone CSP plant, which forms part of the REIPPPP, is the first project financed CSP with molten salt central receiver in the world, and also one of the largest investments in South Africa under the Programme. Following commissioning, commercial operation is scheduled to commence towards the end of 2023. With 12 hours of full-load energy storage, Redstone will be able to reliably deliver a stable electricity supply to more than 200 000 South African homes during peak demand periods, even well after the sun has set.
The firm’s civil engineering division’s scope of work in the thermal power plant consists of:
- Steam generation structure
- Molten salt pump structure
- Hot salt storage tank
- Cold salt storage tank
- Water treatment plant civils
- Fire protection water pump house civils
- Demineralised water storage tank
- Effluent collection area
- Retaining wall
The company’s section of the project is due for completion in December 2022 - with the overall project scheduled for completion in 2024.