Eswatini Solar PV Procurement for 40MW

The ALSF supported the Kingdom of Eswatini’s first competitive procurement process through the launch of a request for proposals (“RfQ”) for the procurement of 40MW of solar PV. The capacity for each solar PV plant will range between 5-15 MW and each project shall utilise proven ground mounted solar PV technology. It is envisioned that the final project signoff will be November 2020 with a set commercial operation date in September 2021. Specifically, the ALSF has supported the Government in putting in place the key project documents to support Independent Power Producers (IPPs) whilst ensuring equitable terms for the Government. Pivotal to this objective has been the building of institutional capacity throughout each stage of the project. The procurement process has also attracted the interest of Development Financial Institutions such as the AfDB, the Development Bank of South Africa and the World Bank Group who are looking to support the project with credit enhancement instruments. The project also included the development of an IPP procurement toolkit and the ALSF procured advisors on behalf of the Government to support the process of implementing the IPP procurement toolkit through a procurement committee. The procurement committee consists of representatives of each of the stakeholders within the power sector in Eswatini.