AN ASSESSMENT OF EMERGING HYBRID PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Year 2018, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 33 - 49, 01.01.2018

Danielle Nel

Abstract

The power sector is one of the greatest beneficiaries of private investment through
public-private partnerships (PPPs) and project financing structures globally. South
Africa has adopted a unique approach to renewable energy (RE) project finance and
partnership development. This unique approach is referred to as the Renewable
Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The
programme is implemented through Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects.
The aim of this article is to assess IPPs as a variant model of PPPs. To this end, the
first objective is to determine what type of partnership IPPs constitute. The second
objective is to gain an understanding of how a variant PPP model can be structured.
This research is based on a qualitative research design. Data from past research
studies, comprising 66 interviews and 168 interviews respectively, were
triangulated with current research, including 13 interviews and a conceptual and
documentary analysis. The findings of the research suggest that IPPs contribute to
diversifying the country’s energy mix; developing RE technology; infrastructure,
local economic, and green skills development; and stimulating socio-economic
development. This research is unique as the concept of hybridity or hybrid PPPs is
an unexplored area in public sector management. Hybrid PPPs represent a unique
approach to public-private procurement for energy partnerships. The hybrid PPP
model serves public interest and is crucial to the country’s energy transition.

Keywords

Hybridity, Independent Power Producer, Public-Private Partnerships, Renewable Energy Procurement