• Voltalia commissions 148 MW Bolobedu solar plant in South Africa

• Plant supplies Rio Tinto unit via grid under long-term agreement

• Project supports industrial decarbonisation, cuts 237,000 tons CO2 yearly

French energy producer Voltalia announced Wednesday the full commissioning of the Bolobedu solar plant in South Africa's Limpopo province, with an installed capacity of 148 MW.

The plant is expected to generate nearly 300 GWh of electricity per year for Richards Bay Minerals, a subsidiary of mining group Rio Tinto. Power will be delivered via the national grid operated by Eskom under a long-term corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA), highlighting the growing role of direct renewable energy deals between independent producers and industrial offtakers.

Bolobedu stands out among similar projects for its scale in supplying a single industrial client. It uses a wheeling arrangement, allowing electricity to be transmitted via the national grid without a direct physical connection between producer and consumer.

The project is expected to avoid more than 237,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. During construction, it employed around 800 local workers, 56% of them young people and 21% women, Voltalia said.

“The full commissioning of Bolobedu, the first large-scale photovoltaic project of this kind developed in South Africa for a private client, illustrates our commitment to accelerating the decarbonisation of industries and supporting an inclusive energy transition in the country, in close partnership with local communities,” said Voltalia Chief Executive Robert Klein.

The project comes as South Africa continues to rely heavily on coal, which accounted for 74.31% of the country’s electricity mix in January 2025, according to the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. That dependence has helped drive industrial demand for wheeling arrangements. In October 2025, Discovery Green signed a 20-year contract with Glencore to supply 290 GWh per year to several of the mining group’s sites.

Bolobedu’s commissioning also reflects a partnership signed in October 2025 between Voltalia and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to develop energy solutions for Africa’s mining industry, which remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

Abdoullah Diop