Table 1: Allowable development limits for renewable energy generation developments generating electricity of 20MW or more

The allowable development limits are based on the pre-assessment wont undertaken through the Strategic Environmental Assessment for Wind and Solar PV Energy in South Africa, 2015, for the effective and efficient rollout of large scale wind and solar development in South Africa. The pre-assessment was undertaken in specific areas referred to as the Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs) as published under Government Notice No. 114, Gazette No. 41445 on 16 February 2018 and extrapolated to cover the entire country. The sensitivities were refined through further public consultation and stakeholder interaction and have been captured in the screening tool.

Allowable development limits refer to the area of a particular land capability that can be directly impacted (i.e. taken up by the physical footprint) by a renewable energy development. Physical footprint in this context is the area that is directly occupied by all infrastructure, including roads, hard standing areas, buildings, substations, etc. that is associated with the renewable energy generation facility during its operational phase, and that result in the exclusion of that land from potential cultivation or grazing. It excludes all areas that were already occupied by roads and other infrastructure prior to the establishment of the renewable energy facility, but includes the surface area required for expanding existing infrastructure (e.g. widening existing roads). It excludes the corridor underneath overhead power lines, but includes the pylon footprints. It therefore represents the total land that is actually excluded from agricultural use as a result of the renewable energy facility.

The Strategic Environmental Assessment for Wind and Solar PV Energy in South Africa, 2015 can be accessed at:

https://redzs.csir.co.za/?page_id=611 and https://egis.environment.gov.za/redz .