A
Department
of
Energy
(DOE)
official
has
reportedly
claimed
that
banks
“are
queuing”
to
fund
renewables
projects
in
electricity-starved
South
Africa,
but
acknowledged
that
the
delays
to
first-round
projects
–
allocated
last
December
–
are
the
fault
of
the
government.
Many
first-round
winners,
such
as
France’s
Soitec,
have
expressed
frustration
that
despite
nailing
down
financing
commitments,
they
have
yet
to
receive
power-purchase
agreements
(PPAs)
from
state-owned
utility
Eskom.
The
DOE
official
says
all
first-round
projects
are
expected
to
reach
financial
close
by
the
end
of
August
–…
