Enerthia Energy works across four offerings — Energy Consultancy, Business Development, Product & Service Endorsement and Funding. This week’s briefing looks at REIPPPP Bid Window 7 solar: three Infinity Power projects totalling 773.5 MWp now have their EPC contractors and their panels lined up, and the supply chain beneath them is where the next round of work sits.
- Highveld (Mpumalanga), Onderstepoort Solar 1 and Onderstepoort Solar 2 add up to 773.5 MWp, all awarded under REIPPPP Bid Window 7.
- Sterling and Wilson holds the Highveld EPC; PowerChina Guizhou holds both Onderstepoort projects.
- The portfolio is expected to generate more than 1,871 GWh a year under planned 20-year Eskom PPAs.
- Financial close has not been announced — which is exactly when subcontract packages start to move.
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What has Infinity Power lined up under REIPPPP Bid Window 7?
Infinity Power, jointly owned by Infinity and Masdar, has three solar projects with a combined 773.5 MWp moving towards construction. Infinity Power won 1.28 GW of solar in Bid Window 7, the largest allocation in the round, and these three plants are planned to sell to Eskom under 20-year power purchase agreements.
In June 2026, at the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, the company signed conditional EPC agreements for the Highveld and Onderstepoort projects: Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy on Highveld (about 285.6 MW) and PowerChina Guizhou Engineering on the two Onderstepoort sites (about 488 MW together). In October a module supply agreement followed for roughly 1.2 million panels.
How big is the Bid Window 7 solar portfolio in practice?
It is large enough to power roughly 456,000 homes. The portfolio is expected to generate more than 1,871 GWh a year and avoid about 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Most recent headlines have been about the private market — wheeling, traders and companies buying power directly, which we covered in how electricity traders now shape C&I power deals. This portfolio is a reminder that public procurement is still moving at scale alongside it, with Eskom as the buyer.
Where does the work sit in a utility-scale solar build?
The work sits in the packages beneath the EPC contractor, not only in the EPC contract itself. A plant of this size breaks into civil works and earthworks, fencing and roads, mounting structures, cabling and trenching, substations and grid connection, security, logistics, site accommodation and catering, and long-term operations and maintenance.
REIPPPP projects also carry economic development and local content commitments, so the EPCs need capable South African subcontractors and suppliers. Packages are often let in the months around financial close — the stage we unpacked in what changed in renewable energy financial close in South Africa. Financial close for these three projects has not been publicly announced, so the window to position is open now.
What do EPCs and lenders expect of a solar supply chain?
They expect evidence that a supplier can deliver safely, on time and without putting the project at risk. That means a track record on similar work, safety and quality systems, the ability to carry the work financially, sound insurance, and B-BBEE and local content credentials that are documented before the tender, not after it.
For a subcontractor or supplier, three steps follow. Know which EPC holds which project: Sterling and Wilson on Highveld, PowerChina Guizhou on Onderstepoort. Put credentials, safety file and references into one tender-ready pack. And get introduced to the procurement teams early, through a partner who already sells into EPCs — which is where our business development for renewable energy companies in Southern Africa comes in.
Energy Consultancy assesses and engineers the requirement. Business Development sells your product or service into the EPCs, offtakers and property groups that buy it. Product & Service Endorsement gives EPCs a shortlist they can trust. Funding covers projects of up to R10 billion, backed by a network of 40 renewable energy investment partners. When the packages are let, the open question is whether your company is on the list.
Business development for renewable energy companies in Southern Africa
We sell your product or service on your behalf, as an independent contractor, into the offtakers, EPCs and property groups that buy it — read about our business development for renewable energy companies in Southern Africa.