It's all systems go for a plan to deal once and for all with Makana's alien plant threat while helping solve the power problem.
It's all systems go for a plan to deal once and for all with Makana's alien plant threat while helping solve the power problem.
Makana Municipality is the first municipality in South Africa that has been scouted for a bio-mass project by the Nollen Group, an environmental finance group based in the Netherlands.
They have proposed the construction of a 3MW biomass power plant at Grahamstown's old power station, in the industrial area, to sell renewable electricity to the municipality and Rhodes University. The power plant will burn invasive alien plants to generate renewable energy.
The group say the project promises benefits for local farmers, who will have these environmentally hazardous plants removed for free, as well as the municipality. The latter, they say, will not only enjoy an improved water supply – aliens such as wattles and gum consume significant amounts of water – but also an alternative energy solution which will assist in the time of loadshedding periods.
In addition to their effect on water supplies, invasive alien plants are a fire hazard, cause erosion and are a threat to South African biodiversity.
The Nollen Group's Charlie Cox said they had been in touch with farmers throughout the area and were currently finalising the last of their biomass access agreements with local farmers and landowners. Cox said these agreements dictated the manner in which properties would be cleared of invasive aliens.
"The agreements state that Nollen Group will fully clear a property of invasive aliens and will assist local landowners with the follow-up work by providing an initial spraying of anti-regrowth herbicides," Cox said. "Removing these plants will increase the productivity of local farms and will increase the water supply in and around Grahamstown."
Cox said there farmers had shown considerable interest in participating, although many had understandable concerns about signing long-term agreements. "In fact, this has been one of my most important tasks throughout the development of the project – meeting with farmers to fully understand their concerns, so the agreements can be worded in a way farmers are comfortable with," Cox said.
"The agreement now features many clauses specifically intended to protect the rights of farmers and legally oblige us to perform the clearing in the appropriate fashion."
The Nollen Group approached the municipality last May last year with the bio-mass alternative energy proposal. There were delays as the project awaited government moves on its renewable energy procurement programmes.
The Department of Energy recently launched the Renewable Energy Procurement Programme – a competitive bidding process reportedly welcomed by renewable energy companies, which have been waiting for the procurement programme to begin.
The delays had held back not only this project but all renewable energy projects across the country, Cox said. "With the programme now progressing we will be able to obtain a power purchase agreement for the electricity that will be generated by our biomass power plant," Cox said.
Cox said the Nollen Group was currently proceeding with the final stages of the project's development, in order to ensure they submitted a successful bid. "We feel very confident that our bid will be competitive."
Before renewable projects can submit a bid, they will have to meet a set of criteria, that include job-creation. Commenting on this, Cox said, "Job-creation and environmental protection have been paramount since the inception of the project.
These were cornerstones of the project long before the Renewable Energy Procurement Programme qualification criteria were published, which is another reason why we feel very strongly about our project." Cox invites farmers interested in participating in the project to email him at charlie(((at)))nollengroup.com
