The 132MWp Selemela Solar PV Project 1 is situated outside Lichtenburg in South Africa’s North West Province. Developed by SOLA Group, the project provides clean energy to African Rainbow Minerals’ operations in Limpopo and Mpumalanga via the Eskom Transmission Network.

The plant covers 105 hectares and can generate 295,347 MWh of energy annually – enough to power over 40,000 households. Together with two adjacent facilities, it formed, at the time of construction, one of South Africa’s largest renewable energy projects to use the Wheeling Framework.

Having worked with SOLA Group before on complex projects, the same Arup team provided owner’s engineering services for Selemela Solar PV Project 1. We carried out a detailed design review, calling on our global multidisciplinary expertise to ensure every aspect of the design would support SOLA Group’s aspirations for the project.

We also provided comprehensive construction monitoring services, supplying a resident engineer onsite full-time to oversee the quality and progress during the construction phase of the project. By ensuring seamless delivery and effective risk management, we have helped to minimise any quality and progress issues, as well as potential defects – saving time and costs.

Mitigating risk from the outset of the project  

Selemela Solar PV Project 1 was one of the first utility-scale projects independently developed by SOLA Group, with our team providing technical design support from pre-financial close through to the construction phase. After reviewing several iterations of the detailed project design, we moved into construction monitoring. We supported SOLA Group by ensuring everything required for successful delivery was set up robustly from the outset, including quality control plan reviews that were suitable for the scale of the project.

During construction and commissioning, we oversaw quality testing, documentation and signoffs to check that everything was adequately closed out. Weekly reports from our resident engineer and monthly reports from our office-based team ensured SOLA Group were always up to speed and aware of any risks. The monthly reports included our assessment of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor’s reports, in which we identified any discrepancies or risks. 

A large solar panel.

Selemela Solar PV Project 1 covers 105 hectares and can generate 295,347 MWh of energy annually – enough to power over 40,000 households. © The SOLA Group

Seamless and future-proof project delivery  

The EPC contractor was a joint venture, so it was particularly important to establish precisely who was responsible for ensuring quality. We introduced an owner’s engineer snag list to ensure that risks identified by our resident engineer were addressed by the EPC contractor, and that SOLA Group had sight of any potential issues.

Although the contract includes a two-year defect period, we know from our experience on major projects around the world that getting things right during the construction phase is always more time and cost effective.

We were also involved in the milestone certification process. This ensured that the contractor provided either evidence that a piece of work was completed to the required quality, or a structured plan for remedying any issues.

Arup’s deep understanding of solar PV systems, regulatory requirements and industry best practices has been instrumental in ensuring our projects meet technical and operational excellence. Their responsiveness, attention to detail and problem-solving approach make them a valuable partner in the renewable energy sector.

Marek Raciborski

Head of Asset Management & Project Finance, SOLA Group

Partnering for success with wide-ranging expertise 

SOLA Group has evolved from its origins as a rooftop solar company, and Arup’s services flexed to meet its needs. This included switching from regular engineer visits to site, to providing a resident engineer on site at all times.

Drawing on our deep pool of local and international expertise, we were able to respond rapidly to SOLA Group’s requests. For example, when we were asked us to attend and review factory acceptance testing at a Johannesburg transformer manufacturing facility, we could call on specialists from our local office.

We continued to support the project as it was energised and connected to the grid. And we will take our experience as owner’s engineer at Selemela through to future work as a major project delivery partner in the renewable energy sector.