Another solar power project adds muscle to Coega IDZ
IN A move to ensure a steady supply of electricity to the Industrial Development Zone, Coega has invested in securing solar energy for its industrial tenants.
The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) said this week Chinese investor Powerway SA, a solar component manufacturer based in the IDZ, was establishing a R1.5-million solar project to be completed by next month on land adjacent to the Coega Business Centre.
The IDZ will use up most of the 72388 kWh of power annually generated by the solar plant, with the balance connected to the grid.
This comes as the R3.5-billion Dedisa peaking power plant is also being constructed in the IDZ – to start supplying electricity to Eskom from August next year – to assist in stabilising the grid when needed at short notice.
The Dedisa plant will have the capacity to produce half of Nelson Mandela Bay's power, and will be started up to help prevent blackouts nationally and complement the city's power supply.
The new solar plant would consist of concrete foundations, thin-film components, and three sets of 15kW inverters, CDC investment promotion manager Vuyokazi Tyida said.
Work on the project was scheduled to begin at the end of August and would take less than a month to complete.
CDC head of marketing and communication Ayanda Vilakazi said once operational, the project would help the CDC in reducing its annual coal emissions by almost 3.3 tons.
"CDC continues to be the investment destination of choice for innovative projects such as this one.
"The installation contributes to the Coega IDZ's green footprint and is seen in a positive light by the organisation," she said.
Powerway moved into the IDZ earlier this year and plans to create 2000 jobs over the next three years in the region.
Powerway chief executive Benson Wu said the Coega project was not only a milestone for Powerway South Africa, but an important demonstration of the Coega IDZ's robust growth.
"We have complete confidence in the future development of our solar PV business in South Africa, which we started more than three years ago," Wu said. "Our business development has always been oriented towards diversification from solar plant and solar mounting structure supply, to power plant construction, and now as overall EPC contractor,"
Powerway PV SA and JA Solar Holdings earlier this year formed a joint venture to establish the PV module assembly plant in the IDZ.
The first phase investment is valued at R300-million, with a further three phases planned for the coming years totalling R1.2-billion. - Cindy Preller
