German Developer JUWI Expands Solar Portfolio in Senegal and South Africa
JUWI is expanding its African renewable energy portfolio with new solar projects in Senegal and South Africa The Senegal project combines solar power with battery storage to cut emissions from a mining operation The expansion reflects growing private investment in Africa’s renewable energy sector German renewable energy developer JUWI is. . .
JUWI is expanding its African renewable energy portfolio with new solar projects in Senegal and South AfricaThe Senegal project combines solar power with battery storage to cut emissions from a mining operationThe expansion reflects growing private investment in Africa’s renewable energy sectorGerman renewable energy developer JUWI is expanding its solar portfolio in Africa. In a statement published on Tuesday, June 30, the company said it was nearing completion of a hybrid solar plant in Senegal while advancing three photovoltaic projects in South Africa. Over the coming months, the group plans to increase its global renewable energy capacity by about one GW. In Africa, JUWI is developing the Grande Côte Operation hybrid solar project in Diogo, northwestern Senegal, for mining group Eramet. Announced on Nov. 19, 2024, the project combines a 20 MW solar power plant with an 11 MW/11 MWh battery energy storage system. According to the two partners, the installation is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the mineral sands mine by about 25,000 metric tons. It is scheduled to come online in 2025. In South Africa, JUWI is currently developing three photovoltaic projects with a combined installed capacity of nearly 350 MW. While the statement does not identify the projects, their combined capacity underscores South Africa’s position as one of Africa’s leading utility-scale solar markets. JUWI said on its website that, since entering South Africa in 2011, it has installed more than 350 MW of clean energy across 15 large-scale power plants. The German developer added that it has also developed projects totaling 311 MW. JUWI’s expansion reflects broader growth in private investment in renewable energy across Africa. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), such investment rose from about $17 billion in 2019 to nearly $40 billion in 2024, while major initiatives continue to attract international developers, particularly from Europe, the Middle East and China. For host countries, the challenge remains to translate that investment into completed projects that meet the needs of both national power grids and industrial users. Abdoullah Diop