The Department of Electricity and Energy has announced that request for quotations (RFQ) submissions, under Phase 1 of the Independent Transmission Projects Programme (ITPP), are due by September 23.
The list of pre-qualified bidders will be announced in November when the request for proposals will also be released.
The dates were confirmed during an online respondents’ conference on August 26 to brief prospective bidders on the request for pre-qualification – a key step in the ITPP, which officially launched on July 30. Stakeholders received detailed guidance on RFQ requirements, timelines and evaluation criteria.
“Cabinet is expected to approve the US$2,2 trillion (R40,7 trillion) Integrated Resource Plan 2025 today (August 27). I am confident it will go through. It’s an ambitious plan and, for it to succeed, it will require strong availability across the generation fleet,” said Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
The US$25 billion (R462,5 billion), 10-year ITPP will be a catalyst for industrialisation and innovation, he added. “We want to broaden the industrial base and ensure meaningful local participation.”
Phase 1 is expected to deliver 1 164 km of transmission lines and unlock 3 222 MW of renewable energy capacity with successive rounds planned at larger scale.
Legal adviser Elizabeth Futama from the Independent Power Producer Office said the RFQ sets out the participation framework including rules, pre-qualification criteria, legal notices, government policies, schedules and required forms. “The RFQ is designed to guide participants in understanding the structure of the programme and to enable the department to evaluate responses against our pre-qualification criteria,” she said. Only respondents meeting all requirements and paying the documentation fee will be evaluated.
Key RFQ requirements include:
- Equity: South African entities must hold at least 49% equity in the project company with significant black equity participation. Community ownership is capped at 5%.
- Financial capacity: Respondents must show sound financial standing and a proven ability to secure project finance for transmission infrastructure, referencing at least three projects that reached financial close in the past five years with a combined value of R5 billion or more.
- Technical expertise: Respondents must demonstrate experience in the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of at least 100 km of transmission lines and substations of 250 MVA capacity. Evidence of three greenfield transmission projects and three substation projects is required along with experience in operating and maintaining extra-high-voltage lines and substations.
Applications can be accessed at www.ntcsa.co.za and www.nersa.org.za (under consultation papers).
