340MW of new solar capacity is expected to be built in South Africa by JUWI Renewable Energies, a subsidiary of the German construction company JUWI.
Three projects will make up the portfolio, and each facility has a signed offtake agreement. Teraco Data Centres will receive power from a 120MW project in the Free State Province; chemicals and gas suppliers Sasol and Air Liquide will receive power from a 120MW project to be developed with TotalEnergies, independent power producer (IPP) Mulilo, and investor the Reatile Group; and a mine run by Glencore will receive power from a 100MW project developed with IPP Pele Green Energy.
JUWI Renewable Energies did not specify when the projects would be built or put into service, but it anticipates investing US$320 million (ZAR6 billion). The three projects together will make up about 5% of South Africa’s operating photovoltaic capacity.
Richard Doyle, managing director of JUWI Renewable Energies, stated, “These projects highlight the crucial role that private sector leadership plays in propelling South Africa’s energy transition.” “JUWI, one of the leaders in the nation’s renewable energy sector, is pleased to collaborate with energy-intensive businesses and IPPs to provide creative projects that improve energy resilience, lower emissions, and hasten the transition to net zero.”
If South Africa and Africa as a whole are to change the composition of their energy mix, investments such as these will be essential. According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa typically receives US$40 billion in investments in renewable energy, whereas fossil fuels receive US$70 billion. Government programs like the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), which began in 2022 and held its final tender in May 2024, have encouraged private participation.
An average of 6GW of solar and wind installations each year until the end of the decade would be needed to reach South Africa’s present goal of installing 26GW of new renewable energy capacity by 2030.
While recent expansion in the nation’s residential solar sector has helped to mitigate load shedding, which has historically hindered South Africa’s energy transition by removing consumers’ access to electricity, it has also decreased interest in the rooftop solar industry.
Due to challenges with the economy for the industry, Thilasoni Chikwanda, executive director of Africa Sustainable Investors, told PV Tech Premium last year that demand for residential solar has been “dampening.”
