Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

Solarpack enters South African PV market

Spanish company Solarpack Corporación Tecnológica S.L. has formed a joint venture with Kabi Energy (Pty) Ltd, this marking its entrance into the South African photovoltaic market.

A 16 MW (AC) photovoltaic project is set to be located outside of Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province. Image: Wikipedia/NJR ZA.

In a statement released, the company says that the newly formed Kabi Solar has a photovoltaic pipeline of 50 megawatts (MW). This is said to represent an investment of around €135 million.

Part of the pipeline comprises a proposed 16 MW (AC) project, set to be located outside of Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province. According to Solarpack, the project has received support from both local and provincial stakeholders.

Now the company says it will submit a bid to the first set of rounds of the South Africa Department of Energy’s (DoE) recently announced Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.

Under REIPPP, 20 year power purchase agreements for the installation of up to 3,750 MW of renewable energy are expected to be awarded to project developers over five procurement rounds. Of this, it is anticipated that 1,450 MW will be awarded to photovoltaic projects.

No further project information was disclosed.

The latest edition of pv magazine features an extensive article on the South African photovoltaic market.