South Africa’s first solar power plant went live three month ahead of schedule injecting an additional 75 megawatts into the national grid, reported SouthAfrica.info.

Kalkbult solar photovolataic (PV) power station near Petrusville in the sun-drenched Northern Cape flowed into the national grid on Tuesday. It will generate 135-million kilowatt hours a year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 33 000 households.

The solar plant was built by a Norwegian-based company Scatec Solar with local partners. It was commissioned in 10 months, with construction beginning in late November 2012.

“Our teams worked literally day and night to make this happen,” Raymond Carlsen, chief executive of Scatec Solar, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Suppliers made a huge effort to deliver their services and equipment, and local people who worked on the project were quick to learn despite the fact that many did not have previous experience in this kind of work.”

The plant is one of the 47 solar-, wind- and mini-hydro projects awarded 20-year contracts to generate electricity under the Department of Energy’s renewable energy programme for independent power producers.

Total investment in the programme is estimated at $7.2 billion, with the government’s recent acceptance of 17 new bids pushing this closer to the $10 billion mark.

Of the 47 renewable energy facilities contracted during the first two phases of South Africa’s renewable energy programme, 27 are solar PV plants that will have combined installed capacity of 17 048MW, with Scatec Solar providing 190MW.