JUWI, JA Solar power South Africa’s transition

JUWI Renewable Energies, a global leader in clean energy development, has signed two major solar module supply agreements with JA Solar, a top-tier global manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic (PV) products

The agreements cover nearly 420,000 solar panels for two large-scale utility projects with a combined capacity of 220MW, supporting some of South Africa’s biggest industrial power users including Glencore, Sasol and Air Liquide.

The projects include the 100MW Sonvanger Solar Plant, being developed for Glencore in partnership with Pele Green Energy, and the 120MW Paarde Valley PV2 Project for Sasol and Air Liquide, delivered with TotalEnergies, Mulilo and Reatile Group. These developments are scheduled to go live by late 2026 and will use enough solar panels to cover more than 160 rugby fields in area.

This agreement is part of JUWI’s broader construction initiative announced earlier this year, representing more than ZAR 6 billion (US$320mn) in new-build solar PV projects. Once completed, these installations will contribute roughly 5% to South Africa’s existing solar PV capacity.

“We’re proud to work with global technology leaders like JA Solar, energy-intensive industries and independent power producers to advance South Africa’s energy transition,” said Richard Doyle, managing director of JUWI Renewable Energies.

“With the country targeting nearly 30 gigawatts of new wind and solar by 2030, and 11 GW of coal capacity scheduled for decommissioning in the near future, we need to ramp up renewable energy deployment faster than ever before if we’re going to keep the lights on. These large-scale projects also bring real carbon savings to the country’s hard-to-abate sectors, while reducing electricity costs for energy users and easing pressure on the grid.”

Aiqing Yang, executive president of JA Solar, stated, “We’re proud to partner with JUWI on these flagship projects, which reflect our shared commitment to advancing clean energy in South Africa. By supplying high-efficiency modules built for performance and reliability, we’re helping to power a more sustainable industrial future.”

Together, the two projects will produce around 672,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity every year. This output is expected to reduce approximately 625,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, the equivalent of removing more than 130,000 cars from the road, while lowering power costs for industrial users and easing strain on the national grid.