Daimler’s Atlantis Foundries signs Western Cape’s largest embedded solar Power Purchase Agreement with Energy Partners

Atlantis Foundries (Pty) Ltd (AF), one of Africa’s largest foundry operations, has signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Energy Partners (EP), an integrated energy solutions company.

According to the terms of the agreement, EP will engineer, finance, construct and operate the ground-mounted solar energy system at AF’s production plant, comprising more than 20,000 solar panels and boasting a total rated capacity of 13.5MWp. It will be the Western Cape’s largest embedded generation solar project.

“Likely the highest CO2 emissions saving in SA auto industry”

Chief Executive Officer of EP, Manie De Waal, affirms that the PPA, set to commence on May 1, 2024, will not only provide AF with a reliable electricity source at a substantially reduced cost over the next 20 years, it will also align AF with growing environmental awareness in the automotive industry.

“Opting for renewable energy is a significant step, and the system that we designed for AF is expected to save more than 22,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, likely the highest reduction achieved in the South African automobile industry. In financial terms, the system will generate electricity worth more than R35 million per year at current average Eskom tariffs,” he confirms.

The system, which has been specifically engineered to align with the foundry’s electrical consumption profile, is estimated to replace up to 20 percent of AF’s annual electricity consumption, considerably reducing its carbon footprint and representing a major step towards sustainable energy utilisation.

It will be integrated into AF's electrical network that is connected to the City of Cape Town's grid, and excess energy generated by the plant will be fed into the City's network through the feed-in programme, contributing to the overall renewable energy capacity of Cape Town.

Collaborating for renewable energy adoption

Says Pieter du Plessis, Chief Executive Officer of AF, “AF, as part of the Daimler Truck AG, constantly sets and exceeds global best practice. Our commitment is to both our shareholders, stakeholders and the environment. With this renewable energy generation project, we are setting new standards in the South African automotive industry and alleviating pressure on our constrained national grid. It is a result of extensive cooperation between the AF and EP teams, in conjunction with the Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town. Thank you to everyone involved.”

The project sets the stage for future embedded generation systems exceeding 1MW within Cape Town and the rest of the province.