The plant will help to meet growing demand for solar energy in the country and will manufacture SunPower’s high efficiency E20/440 panels. SunPower is expecting the facility to produce up to 160 MW annually, creating up to 150 local jobs. The plant will also house the company’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Operations & Management (O&M) offices, consolidating its South African business into one building.
“SunPower has a significant presence in the South African solar market, including two large power plants built this year and another one that will begin construction soon” said Marty Neese, SunPower COO. “By manufacturing our high efficiency solar panels at this new facility, we will not only help the local economy, but continue to deliver clean, renewable energy to this region. Our investment in this new plant is part of our commitment to the local South African PV market, and meets our objective to build a sustainable business through local investment and create jobs in the medium and long-term.”
Earlier this year, SunPower completed construction of two ground-mounted solar projects near Douglas in Northern Cape Town province, totalling 33 MW. The company has also been appointed by Mulilo-Total consortium as the preferred EPC and O&M contractor for an 86 MWdc project in the round three Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement program.
SunPower is an affiliate of Total, operating solar panel manufacturing plants in North America, Europe and Asia. It is planning to open its factory in South Africa in 2015. These facilities will bring solar panels to local projects worldwide, minimizing expensive transportation costs while reducing environmental impact.
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