The government stunned the renewables industry two weeks ago by announcing it would delay the submission deadline for Round 3 projects until May 2013 — having originally slated it for 1 October.

While public-sector delays are de rigueur in South Africa, developers were surprised and bewildered by the length of the hold-up.

Meanwhile, Round 1 projects — awarded at the UN climate talks in Durban last December — were supposed to have reached financial close and been handed power-purchase agreements (PPAs) by June.