Photo by: Duane Daws
Solar products manufacturer JA Solar Holdings has formed a joint venture with solar farm construction services provider Powerway PV South Africa (SA) to establish a solar module manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
Production at the facility, which would be located in the Coega industrial development zone (IDZ), was scheduled to begin during the second quarter of this year, with the plant targeted to reach an initial annualised capacity of 150 MW that could, at a later stage, be increased to 600 MW to meet growth in regional demand.
The facility would service customers in South Africa and the broader Southern African region with solar modules assembled using JA Solar's high-efficiency cells.
"This facility will play a crucial role as we seek to benefit from the significant growth potential across the Southern African region. Improved cost-effectiveness is making solar an increasingly attractive energy alternative in South Africa. Having a presence on the ground will give us the local knowledge and qualification needed to identify and pursue the best commercial opportunities while providing better services to our customers," JA Solar chairperson and CEO Baofang Jin commented.
Powerway PV SA MD Charles Domingo said the company was seeing an increasing demand for quality solar modules in the South African market, adding that the central position of this facility meant that it was ideally located for exports from the Port of Nqgura, at the Coega IDZ, and that it would serve project sites in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and the greater Southern Africa region.
“We already have a long and fruitful relationship with JA Solar and are delighted to be extending that into a new and exciting market,” Domingo concluded.