By Nosihle Shelembe
Biejing, China - A Chinese energy company that is pursuing the use of clean energy sources has several renewable energy projects in the pipeline for development in various provinces in South Africa.
These projects are in line with government’s efforts to move towards clean energy and fulfil the country’s commitment to global climate change. The company, Longyuan Power Group, prioritises wind, solar projects and other complementing energy sources.
“We have done the preliminary assessment for the project already. Our goal and mission is to deal with climate change. We are promoting energy transformation. If we can successfully transfer from coal power to renewable energy, that’s a great contribution to climate change reduction. This policy complies with the carbon neutral policy globally and China’s policy,” Longyuan Power Group Vice President Jing Ding said on Tuesday.
Addressing members of the South African media at the Longyuan Power Group offices in Beijing, Ding said South Africa is one of the countries they are prioritising for future development.
The South African media delegation is in China for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State Visit to the People’s Republic of China, which took place earlier this week.
The President is also participating in the Forum on China – Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC) in Beijing from 2 - 5 September 2024.
Longyuan Power Group operates four wind power projects in three countries, with a total capacity of 420MW.
They include 99MW in the Dufferin Wind Power Project in Canada, 76MW at the Yuzhne Wind Power Project in Ukraine and 244.5MW in the De Aar I and II Wind Power projects in South Africa.
The De Aar I and II Wind Power projects in South Africa were put into operation in 2017.
“We started the South Africa project in 2013 with the preliminary phases… We did the assessments and designed the project. We worked very closely with local partners to support the local economic development. We started operating in 2017 and the project was financed by a commercial bank,” Ding said.
During the construction period, the company created more than 700 jobs in the local community.
“In China, we made a commitment to be carbon neutral. Longyuan Power is committed to building itself into a first-class renewable company with global competitiveness in the world, and making a contribution to China’s goal to carbon peak and neutrality,” Ding said.
Longyuan Power is providing training to Eskom in terms of renewable energy projects development, construction, operation and maintenance.
In August 2024, the representatives of Eskom visited the De Aar wind farm and learnt about the technology and operation of renewable projects.
“We are promoting renewable energy in developing countries in future and putting efforts in renewable energy development in South Africa and other developing countries. We believe the cost of renewable energy is reasonable compared to coal,” Ding said.
Longyuan Power has developed into a large-scale comprehensive power generation group focusing on developing and operating renewable energy and is engaged in in wind power, photovoltaic, biomass, tidal, geothermal and thermal.
The company has established 11 leading technical service systems in the industry, including station design, power forecasting, data analysis, modelling and simulation, and early-stage consultations.
Its business operation covers 31 provinces and cities in China, as well as Canada, South Africa and the Ukraine. - SAnews.gov.za
