The project is being developed by South African consultancy NETGroup in partnership with Lesotho's Powerdev Group. The two signed a joint agreement with the government of Lesotho last December.
According to Marius du Preez, General Manager of NETGroup International, the partners have now also secured a preliminary agreement with Gamesa. One key element was the need for turbines certified for use at altitudes of 3200-metres.
The consortium is about to apply for the environmental approval and hope to reach agreement soon on a power purchase agreement with state utility the Lesotho Electricity Company.
Discussions are ongoing with several financial institutions to cover the construction costs, including the Netherlands development bank FMO and South Africa-based Standard Bank.
If financing can be arranged by early next year the project construction can begin in March.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
