Last month, a small ray of hope appeared for the long-awaited restart of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Programme (REIPPPP).

For more than two years, rounds 3.5 and 4 of the programme have been prevented from reaching financial close by state-owned utility provider Eskom’s refusal to sign power purchase agreements (PPAs).

REIPPPP, which is based on competitive tenders, was initially showcased as an unmitigated success and held up as an international example of how to build a competitively priced renewables market.