Norway’s Scatec Solar has signed a deal to build, own and operate 258MW of solar projects in South Africa.

Scatec is one of the first players to move into the country since South Africa’s Department of Energy gave the green light to several Renewable Energy Independent Power Procurement Projects (REIPPP), including the Power Purchase Agreements with state utility Eskom, paving the way for 59bn rand ($5bn) in new direct investments in the energy sector.