In yet another defining moment for South Africa’s renewable energy landscape, Red Rocket is proud to announce it has been appointed as a preferred bidder for three projects under South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Bid Window 7’s Value for Money allocation. This marks another significant milestone in the company’s trajectory and its contribution to the country’s objective to advance the energy transition.
The award builds on a strong streak of successes for Red Rocket in 2025, following a series of major announcements that underscore the company’s momentum while reinforcing its mission to power South Africa. In the latest announcement by the Department of Electricity and Energy, Red Rocket secured three of the four awarded projects, being Rondebosch Solar Park (240MW) in Mpumalanga, along with Springhaas Solar Facility 1 (240MW), and Springhaas Solar Facility 6 (170MW) in the Free State. These three projects total 650MW of the 890MW awarded.
The programme aims to unlock 890MW of new generation capacity, with Red Rocket’s projects poised to contribute a substantial percentage. The milestone follows successful discussions favouring the leading Independent Power Producer’s approach and ability to deliver affordable, reliable renewable energy at scale, while aligning with long-term sustainability goals.
Commenting on the achievement, Red Rocket’s Head of Development, Sharief Harris, said the projects awarded after Value for Money proposals were submitted were a critical step in further accelerating much-needed capacity into the national grid and aligned closely with the company’s purpose.
“After a long anticipation, with initial bid submissions having taken place in August 2024, the wait was worth it, being awarded a further 650MW after submission of Value for Money proposals is a big boost to the country’s drive to add much-needed generation capacity,” he said.
In July this year, Red Rocket celebrated projects awarded in terms of the Bid Window 7 project extra allocation, in which 590MW contracted capacity (656MW nameplate capacity) of solar projects were awarded. Dwaalboom 3 in Limpopo (with a 200.5MW nameplate capacity and 180MW contracted capacity) Virginia 4 in the Free State (with a 239.7MW nameplate capacity and 210MW contracted capacity), and Florida (with a 215.3MW nameplate capacity and 200MW contracted capacity) further position the company as a leading renewable energy developer in South Africa, committed to impactful projects with a mission to secure the country’s energy resilience. This takes the tally of projects awarded under Bid Window 7 to 1 240MW contracted capacity for Red Rocket.
Red Rocket CEO, Matteo Brambilla, said: “The latest awarded projects are a powerful testament to our ability to deliver crucial renewable energy solutions that provide real value to our country. We are proud to be contributing meaningful capacity to the grid while advancing a cleaner, more robust energy system that supports economic growth today while securing a lasting legacy for our country tomorrow.”
The newly awarded projects join a host of significant milestones for Red Rocket this year, including the two-phased financial close of Overberg Wind Farm, South Africa’s largest commercially developed wind farm with a nameplate capacity of 400MW. Additionally, with a nameplate capacity of 331MW, Tournee Solar Park reached financial close in September. Both projects represent a staggering investment of more than R18 billion, and will play a meaningful role in addressing South Africa’s pressing energy needs.
