Civil Engineering April 2021 | Vol 29 No 3

60 April 2021 Civil Engineering SA’s first Energy Performance Certificate issued The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) believes that the recent issuing of the first-ever Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for a building in South Africa is a landmark achievement that will encourage energy efficiency across the board. According to the International Energy Agency, buildings account for approxi- mately 30% of global energy consumption and 40% of total direct and indirect CO 2 emissions. These figures could easily grow in Africa – and particularly in South Africa – due to increasing urbanisation. In February 2021, the Admin B building at Stellenbosch University, which houses the vice chancellor and executive team, received the first-ever EPC for a building in South Africa, in recognition of its commitment to energy efficiency. Background to EPCs In December last year, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy passed into law a set of “Regulations for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings”. Property owners and government entities have until 7 December 2022 to ensure that their buildings adhere to the regulations. EPCs rate buildings’ energy perfor- mance from A to G, with A being the most energy efficient and G the worst, with D being the mid-point, when benchmarking against the average figures quoted in the national South African Building Standard SANS 10400-XA. Buildings must try and achieve at least a D-rating and their EPC must be displayed at the building entrance, no matter their rating, in order to be com- pliant with the regulations. “The regulations apply to non-residential buildings (specific occupancy classes) with a net floor area of at least 2 000 m 2 in the private sector and 1 000 m 2 for buildings owned, operated or occupied by an organ of state,” explains Barry Bredenkamp, SANEDI’s General Manager for Energy Efficiency & Corporate Communications. “Stellenbosch University’s being awarded an A-rated EPC so soon after the regula- tions were gazetted really is a phenomenal achievement and they should be applauded for this major step forward,” he says. “The national drive towards energy efficiency will unlock the wider value chain, as building owners look to implement more efficient systems. Economic activity will be stimulated as building owners work towards achieving compliance in areas such as HVAC, lighting, building retrofit, energy monitoring and more energy-efficient appliances and equipment to optimise and reduce energy usage. This will involve engineering firms and other energy service companies, who will typically be contracted to do these energy efficiency upgrades, thereby creating much-needed job opportunities in the energy sector,” Bredenkamp concludes.  New advisory consortium to assist IPPs in 5th bid window 2 600 MW of renewable energy needs to be procured by the South African government in the fifth bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) which has recently opened. Expanded energy generation is an urgent national priority and this bid window will give Independent Power Producers (IPPs) the opportunity to pitch energy tariff offers to the government. This round comes hot on the heels of the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme which closed in December 2020, with the preferred bidders’ announcement imminent. To assist IPPs with their projects, three of South Africa’s experienced industry specialists – Carnegie Energie, Economic Development Solutions (EDS), and SDG Legal – have joined forces to create a consortium called CES Project Advisory. The consortium offers a consolidated turnkey solution providing bidders with a single service provider point of engage- ment from project development, through bid submission to financial close and on to commercial operation date (COD). “IPPs face the immense challenge of engaging with numerous companies to assist with bid preparation and compli- ance. This complicates the process and can result in delays and frustrations,” says Janine Espin, Managing Director of EDS. “This consortium provides everything from legal expertise to project management, economic development, carbon tax compli- ance and technical management competen- cies to satisfy RFP bid requirements.” According to Chris Carnegie, Managing Partner at Carnegie Energie, the risk mitiga- tion bids will need to reach financial close within four to five months. Thereafter, the projects must be built and COD achieved within 12 to 14 months. “It’s clear there is no time to waste on these projects. Bidders in REIPPPP round 5 will need assistance with everything from finalising permits to National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) applications, completing feasi- bility studies, finalising funding terms, and ensuring that the project can meet the local content requirements.” “By unifying competencies, we’re ef- fectively merging disparate workstreams. Legal, technical, financial, and economic development workstreams usually run parallel to each other. If these teams struggle to reach consensus or misunder- stand one another the process to rectify this can be time-consuming and counter- productive,” explains Tammy-Lynne Bekker, Managing Director of SDG Legal. To present a compliant and competitive bid, IPPs will need to evidence project viability and meet local content, environ- mental and other legal requirements. “This is where our agility is an advantage for IPPs. The Admin B building at Stellenbosch University