South African National Parks (SANParks) has entered into a renewable energy agreement with Ampli Energy enabling Kruger National Park to receive renewable electricity equivalent to more than 25% of its annual consumption.
The agreement, announced at a media briefing in Skukuza last week, allows the park to reduce electricity-related emissions without developing large-scale generation infrastructure on site.
Discovery Green supplies renewable electricity through Ampli Energy, which is its month-to-month product developed in partnership with Sasol. It aggregates renewable electricity through power purchase agreements and matches supply to customer demand while Sasol’s Secunda complex serves as the backstop off-taker for Ampli’s renewable energy portfolio, the companies said.
“Wheeling offers the quickest and most cost-effective route to decarbonisation,” SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello said.
Kruger accounts for about 70% of SANParks’ Scope 2 emissions, Sello added. The wheeling arrangement offers a way to reduce these emissions without using conservation land for electricity generation, she said.
According to Discovery Green CEO Andre Nepgen, Kruger National Park consumes approximately 29 million kWh of electricity annually. The renewable energy arrangement covers the equivalent of more than 25% of that demand or more than 7,25 million kWh a year.
“Through Ampli Energy, the park will be equipped with renewable energy in a way that supports the economic and environmental health of South Africa,” Nepgen said.
SANParks is considering whether the model could be expanded to other national parks over the course of the next few years, Sello said.
