JUWI Renewable Energies, a subsidiary of German construction group JUWI, has announced plans to build 340MW of new solar capacity in South Africa.
The portfolio will consist of three projects, and an offtake agreement has been signed for each facility. A 120MW project in the Free State Province will supply power for Teraco Data Centres; a 120MW project, to be developed with TotalEnergies, independent power producer (IPP) Mulilo and investor the Reatile Group, will provide power for chemicals and gas suppliers Sasol and Air Liquide; and a 100MW project, developed with IPP Pele Green Energy, will supply power to a mine operated by Glencore.
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JUWI Renewable Energies expects to invest US$320 million (ZAR6 billion) into the projects, and did not provide a timeline for their construction and commissioning. When complete, the three projects will account for around 5% of South Africa’s operational PV capacity.
“These projects underscore the critical role of private sector leadership in driving South Africa’s energy transition,” said Richard Doyle, managing director of JUWI Renewable Energies. “As one of the pioneers of the country’s renewable energy sector, JUWI is proud to partner with energy-intensive industries and IPPs to deliver innovative projects that enhance energy resilience, reduce emissions, and accelerate progress toward net zero.”
Investments like these will be vital if South Africa in particular, and Africa in general, is to alter the balance of its energy mix. Figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that, on average, Africa receives US$40 billion of investment in renewable power, compared to US$70 billion in fossil fuels. Private investment has been buoyed by government initiatives such as the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), which launched in 2022 and concluded its last tender in May 2024.
South Africa is currently aiming to install 26GW of new renewable energy capacity by 2030, a figure that would require an average of 6GW of annual solar and wind installations until the end of the decade.
Historically, South Africa’s energy transition has been hampered by a weak national grid, where load shedding often removed access to electricity for consumers, and while recent growth in the country’s residential solar sector has helped to minimise this phenomenon, it has simultaneously lowered interest in the rooftop solar sector.
Last year, Thilasoni Chikwanda, executive director of Africa Sustainable Investors, told PV Tech Premium that there has been a “dampening” in demand for residential solar amid unfavourable economics for the sector.
