Availability and cost of capital for IPP wind energy project financing in South Africa : an investigation study into how financiers and investors in the South African wind power market react to perceived uncertainties in the policy and regulatory ena

Abstract

In recent months there has been an increased interest in the potential for a wind power sector in South Africa. This is in response to broader climate change commitments by government and the potential inclusion of independent power producers (IPP) in the South African generation capacity. In support of this the government has set policies that indicate their support for the inclusion of renewable energy into the mix. However, this policy does not send a clear signal of certainty to investors, especially with regard to the implementation. This thesis set out to review how investors and financiers have responded to these signals and how they set the cost and availability of project funding based off the uncertainty due to the gaps in the enabling environment.