SunPower has begun construction on the 86-megawatt peak (MWp) Prieska solar power plant in South Africa's Northern Cape province. Expected to be fully operational in 2016, the project represents the third solar power plant constructed by SunPower under the South Africa government's renewable energy program (REIPPP).
"With an abundance of reliable, cost-effective solar resources, South Africa is one of the fastest growing solar markets in the world today," said Tom Werner, president and CEO of SunPower. "We are pleased to grow our presence in South Africa with the development of solar power plants that enable South Africa's government to achieve its renewable goals, and we look forward to continuing to serve the region with the opening of our new solar panel manufacturing plant this year."
SunPower, which is responsible for designing and constructing the Prieska project,
1 will also provide operations and maintenance services once it is operational. The project will sell the electricity it produces to the regional public utility ESKOM under a power purchase agreement. Approximately 700 jobs will be created by the project during construction.
The project has been secured under a project development agreement with South African Mulilo Solar Enterprises and Total, SunPower's majority shareholder. The project company in charge of implementing the project is owned by affiliated companies, including Total as majority shareholders (27 per cent) and Mulilo Solar Enterprises (18 per cent), along with four other partners including a local community trust.
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- SunPower® Oasis® Power Plant technology will be installed at the Prieska site. The technology uses single-axis trackers to position high efficiency SunPower solar panels to face the sun throughout the day, increasing energy capture by up to 25 percent over fixed-tilt solar technology.