Construction began 2015 (scheduled) Construction cost $715 million | Status Proposed Commission date 2018 (planned) | |
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Location Postmasburg, Northern Cape Province | ||
Redstone Solar Thermal Power (RSTP) is a planned solar power tower solar thermal power plant, located in Postmasburg, near Kimberley, in the Northern Cape Region of South Africa. Redstone Solar Thermal Power is 100 megawatts (MW), and will be the first solar tower plant with molten salt energy storage in Africa. The project is based on the technology used in Solar Reserve's Crescent Dunes project in the US
In January 2015, the South Africa Department of Energy awarded the RSTP project to a consortium led by SolarReserve and the Arabian Company for Water and Power Development (ACWA Power). The project is to achieve financial close at end of 2015 and commence operations in early 2018. Overall project cost is $715 million, and basic power tariff offered at $124/MW·h. Peak power tariff is 270% of the basic power tariff.
The RSTP project features a 2-tank direct molten salt energy storage with 12 hours of full-load energy storage, namely 1200 MW·h of equivalent power production, avoiding any backup fuel requirement. The RSTP project is located adjacent the 75 MW Lesedi and 96 MW Jasper photovoltaic solar power projects. Together the three projects comprise a combined CSP ad PV solar park with a total 271 MW of generating capacity.
The RSTP project will create 800 direct jobs during construction, with a planned 30-year operating life.
The purchase power agreement (PPA) worth R50 billion with Eskom was postponed and is still to be signed.