Chinese Powerway, NARI eye solar projects in S Africa

Jul 17, 2013 - NARI, which is part of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), said Tuesday it would develop solar projects in South Africa together with solar mounting solutions provider Powerway Renewable Energy Co Ltd.

The two Chinese companies have agreed to jointly develop solar parks in the country and throughout Africa and provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to the sector. NARI will also allow Powerway’s South African unit to produce, under licence, NARI’s inverters, cables and balance-of-system products for photovoltaic (PV) applications.

In January 2012, Powerway unveiled today plans to invest into several plants in South Africa to make mounting structures for solar power projects. In the middle of the year it had already established manufacturing capacity in the country. NARI said that Powerway was the “ideal partner” for it in the long run.

South Africa plans to have 17,800 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, seeking to trim its dependence on oil and natural gas. A total of 47 wind and solar projects, representing 2,459 MW, have moved to the preferred-bidder phase after the first two rounds of the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP). More rounds are coming and South Africa is becoming an attractive market for companies from the industry.

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