Construction taking place at a solar plant in Barberton. Mpumalanga. Picture: Supplied
JUWI Renewable Energies has said that said it would begin construction on three major private solar projects in 2025 with a capacity of 340 megawatts (MW), which will contribute around 5% to the country’s total solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.
These projects, with an investment of more than R6 billion, would serve notable businesses such as Glencore, Teraco, Sasol, and Air Liquide, and are expected to create more than 2 000 jobs during construction.
According to JUWI, there will be a 120MW solar PV facility for Teraco Data Centres, Africa’s largest data centre company, supplying multiple locations via wheeling innovation from a generation site in the Free State.
In addition, there will be a 120MW solar PV facility for Sasol and Air Liquide, in partnership with independent power producers (IPPs) TotalEnergies, Mulilo and Reatile Group.
A further 100MW solar PV facility for Glencore Mine will provide green “no-carbon” energy to its ferrochrome smelters in partnership with Pele Green Energy. This will help Glencore meet the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) requirements on its ferrochrome exports.
Dr. Rethabile Melamu, CEO of the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA), said these projects not only accelerate South Africa’s transition to clean energy, but also highlight innovative business models and solutions, while strengthening the resilience and global competitiveness of the industry.
“Achieving South Africa’s renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets demands urgent and decisive action from the country’s most energy-intensive sectors,” Melamu said.
“Private sector investments are essential, especially considering our heavy reliance on coal and the carbon-intensive nature of our economy. We are excited that JUWI, one of SAPVIA’s long-standing members, will play a pivotal role in delivering these transformative projects, further establishing solar PV as a key technology in securing South Africa’s energy future.”
JUWI currently operates and maintains nine large renewable energy projects in Africa, totalling 574 MW, which generate nearly 1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually.
The JUWI Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Mannheim-based energy supplier, MVV Energie AG with approximately 1 300 employees worldwide and is actively engaged in various renewable energy projects around the globe. The South African office opened in Cape Town in 2011.
To date, JUWI has built 20 solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) projects globally. In Africa, two notable JUWI examples are the Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt and the Grande Côte mineral sands operation (GCO) in Senegal.
JUWI’s managing director, Dr Richard Doyle, said while these systems were not yet delivering 24-hour renewable energy due to the economics, they marked meaningful progress in reducing emissions for energy-intensive industries.
“As the South African market matures and battery prices drop, we’re well-positioned to bring our global and African experience to local projects. Practically speaking, for large-scale initiatives, achieving 24-hour renewable energy requires a phased approach, Doyle said.
“Solar PV alone can replace up to 40% of fossil fuel consumption. Adding battery storage can increase that share to 60%, while integrating wind energy alongside solar and batteries can achieve renewable contributions of 80–90%, often at costs comparable to fossil fuel-based systems.”
Doyle highlighted three phases of renewable energy production.
In the first, a renewable generator offsets a part of the user’s demand, with intermittency managed by the grid or a fossil fuel generator like diesel or heavy fuel oil.
The second phase has seen small (1 – 2 hour) batteries being deployed to increase the penetration of renewable energy by managing some of the intermittency. The third phase is 24-hour dispatchable green energy due to large batteries.
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