R80m US solar plant to open in Cape Town

Washington - United States company Jinko Solar will open its R80m, 120 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) module production facility in Cape Town on Tuesday, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies announced.

"South Africa is becoming a leader in renewable energy," Davies said on the sidelines of the US-Africa summit in Washington on Monday.

"Within the space of three years the REIPPP (renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme) model is fast developing into a new industry sector."

He said Jinko Solar had opened the facility in response to the roll-out of the REIPPP, where 148 MW of solar PV projects had been procured.

Since the beginning of the undertaking it had deployed 300 MW of solar PV panels, reaching around 30% of market share, Davies said.

"[This] once again highlights the attractiveness of South Africa as an investment destination and will contribute further to establishing the country as a hub for renewable energy and other green economy industries," he said.