The impact of Rounds I and II of South Africa's renewable energy independent power producer programme(REIPPP) and the key challenges faced when proving CSP's bankability and optimizing grid infrastructure, will be placed under the spotlight during CSP Today's eagerly anticipated free webinar on Wedn

Currently South Africa has 200MW of CSP under development, after three projects were awarded approved bidder status in Rounds I and II of the REIPPP. Furthermore, recent analysis has indicated that CSP is having a positive impact on the region, with local content levels rising from 21% in Round I to 36% in Round II, as well as unlocking job creation opportunities.

However, in September 2012 the Department of Energy announced delays to Round III of the REIPPP, as a result of the difficulty in advancing first round projects to financial close. Furthermore, with South African electricity prices being some of the cheapest in the world, CSP is unable to compete with the cost of cheaper more established forms of energy production.

As continuous, uninterrupted electricity supply, plus the modernization of the aging electrical grid, remains a priority in a country plagued with energy shortages, many sceptics have questioned the future role CSP will play in South Africa's energy mix.

To debate these critical industry challenges in greater depth, CSP Today has organized a free webinar, taking place on Wednesday 28th November at 09.00am GMT (11.00AM SAST). During this one hour interactive session, senior-level experts from the Southern Africa Solar Thermal and Electricity Association and Eskom will debate and discuss these critical topics:

• South Africa's CSP status: Find out how developers can align their CSP strategy with the REIPPP, looking at current levels of investment and future market growth
• Industry Lessons learned: Understand the key challenges that have been faced in the REIPPP and how these can be mitigated beyond Round III
• Streamlining CSP grid interconnection: Eskom will share lessons learned from the last 12 months and identify how they are overcoming transmission issues in South Africa

The webinar can be joined for free at by following the link below, and with limited spaces available it is advised that you sign-up early.

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/965622246

The programme is part of the preparation for CSP Today South Africa 2013, which is taking place on 4-5 February in Pretoria.

For more information about both the webinar and the event contact Jack Ahearne at jack@csptoday.com