LANDOWNER?

Renewable Energy developments, while crucial in fighting climate change as they are less harmful to the environment than energy generated by fossil fuels, can harm the environment. To reduce the impact of renewable energy development on the environment, The Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and the Environment (DFFE) requires an environmental assessment process must be undertaken in terms of the National Environmental Management Act. (NEMA)

The environmental assessment process, inclusive of specialist studies, is undertaken in support of the environmental authorization application process. The assessment process will identify the potential risks of the proposed development, assess their impact, and provide mitigation measures to reduce the identified and assessed impacts to an acceptable level.

Developing a PV facility can take anywhere between 12 and 24 months, depending on the location and size of the project. During this time, studies in support of the necessary permits/approvals/authorizations will be conducted. Only once the project has obtained/applied for all the relevant permits and approvals is the project eligible to be sold into the market.

During the feasibility phase, minimal activity takes place on the project site. During the feasibility phase, there will be minimal traffic on the project site. There will be environmental specialists performing various studies on the project site at different intervals over the period that would require access, these specialists will always abide by the agreed-upon access protocol.

Farming activities can commence as normal during the feasibility phase. During construction and operation, the facility will be separate from the rest of the land.

AGV will work with the landowners to avoid areas that the landowner wishes not to develop on. It’s important that the landowner make us aware of areas to avoid at an early stage.

The project developer is not interested in owning any land. Should the landowner wish to sell the property during the feasibility phase the sale agreement must contain a condition that the new owner will continue with the option to lease. In the construction or operation phase, the reason for the financier asking for the first option to buy the land should the landowner decide to sell is to protect their investment. The financier will have the opportunity to match any offer to purchase made by a third party.

The electricity can be sold through a power purchase agreement to commercial & industrial energy users, sold to an energy trader that sells the energy to an aggregated group of energy buyers, or Eskom through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

An on-site substation will step up the voltage which will then be evacuated to the national grid via overhead transmission lines to the nearest Eskom substation.

No, landowners will not be able to get electricity from the facility.

The Option Agreement is an agreement between a grantor and grantee to lease land from it and to develop the land with all the required permits and servitudes required for the successful operation of the facility. The option agreement allows the developer access to the land to perform feasibility studies such as environmental studies. It ultimately allows the developer to compete in a bidding round during the option period.

The project owners are responsible for the decommissioning of the facility and infrastructure should it not be agreed to renew or extend the operation of the plant.