State-owned national ports operator Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has issued a request for information (RFI) to the private sector as it intends to procure between 50 MW and 80 MW of renewable energy across its eight commercial seaports – Richards Bay, Durban, Saldanha, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mossel Bay and Ngqura.
TNPA recently carried out an internal audit, which indicated a need to stabilise the entity’s energy supply and costs, and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at the eight commercial seaports.
It is anticipated that responses to the RFI will assist TNPA to gain a better understanding of the renewable energy market, particularly for wind and solar.
TNPA will also consider the incorporation of other renewable energy sources such as hybrid plants that include hydroelectric power, ocean energy, biomass and geothermal energy.
TNPA project manager Jarryd Introna says the introduction of renewable energy at TNPA’s ports is significantly underpinned by the entity’s corporate environmental responsibility and is a “good step” towards limiting contributions towards global warming.
“As we respond to our ports authority role of delivering reliable electrical energy for our port operators and tenants, we are committed to doing so in a manner that is financially prudent, does not harm the environment and has a developmental impact,” he says.
RFI documents can be accessed from the National Treasury’s e-tender publication portal or through Transnet’s website. Responses to the RFI must be submitted by no later than September 6 at 12:00.
After receiving and reviewing RFI responses, TNPA may release a request for proposals, provided that sufficient information is obtained from the RFI submissions.
