Proposed development of the Mercury Solar PV Cluster near Orkney in the Free State

The assessment area for the proposed PV Solar farms and grid connections is situated north and south of the R76 close to the town of Viljoenskroon in the Free State Province. It falls within the jurisdiction of the Moqhaka Local Municipality in the Fezile Dabi District Municipality. The fourteen proposed applications described below are the result from the Basic Screening Assessment referred to above, as well as consideration by Mulilo in terms of financial viability and landowner/farmer recommendations. The number of these applications can however change and/or the site areas could be redefined within the total assessment area during the course of the EIA process. Changes will be based on findings and recommendations from the specialists (which are currently underway) as well as comment received during the public participation process.
Project components to be confirmed for each separate application could include the following:
Solar PV Farm 132kV Grid Connections with switching station/substations for each PV facility
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Laydown area for the construction period
Diesel storage facility of less than 500m3 Operational & Maintenance Buildings
Auxiliary Generator Set (GENSET) Additional infrastructure (Access Roads - new and/or upgrade; stormwater; water pipelines, etc.)
The majority of the total assessment area of the 3 400 hectares site has a high agricultural sensitivity according to the Screening Tool of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). The Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act (Act 70 of 1970) (SALA) requires that any long term lease or a change of land use on agricultural land be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). It is one of the main reasons that a Basic Screening Assessment was done of the entire assessment area as indicated on the map on Page 4 of this document. The No Go areas in terms of terrestrial and aquatic ecology and wetlands as well as avi-fauna were also identified to guide decision-making by Mulilo. This approach was followed to ensure that areas that will definitely not be considered for approval by the authorities are excluded from further consideration and unnecessary time delays and cost expenditure.