JUWI and JA Solar sign 420 000-panel deal for Glencore and Sasol/Air Liquide solar projects

JUWI Renewable Energies, a global renewable energy leader, on Tuesday announced that it has signed two solar module supply agreements with JA Solar, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-performance photovoltaic (PV) technology.

The deal is for nearly 420 000 solar panels for two large-scale projects totalling 220 MW, currently being executed for major industrial energy users including Glencore, Sasol and Air Liquide.

The projects include the 100 MW Sonvanger Solar Plant for Glencore, developed in partnership with Pele Green Energy, and the 120 MW Paarde Valley PV2 project for Sasol and Air Liquide, delivered with TotalEnergies, Mulilo and Reatile Group. Together, the projects will come online in late 2026 and use enough solar panels to cover over 160 rugby fields.

The latest milestone forms part of JUWI’s broader construction rollout announced earlier this year, which includes more than R6 billion in new-build solar PV projects. Once completed, these projects will add roughly 5% to South Africa’s total installed solar PV capacity.

Richard Doyle, the managing director of JUWI Renewable Energies, said, “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, the executive President at JA Solar added, “By supplying high-efficiency modules built for performance and reliability, we’re helping to power a more sustainable industrial future.” 

The two projects will supply 672 000 MWh of clean electricity annually. This is expected to reduce around 625 000 tonnes of CO₂ each year, the equivalent of removing more than 130 000 cars from the road, while also easing pressure on the national grid and reducing electricity costs for large energy users.