JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. and Powerway PV SA Pty., Ltd. have formed a Joint Venture to establish a solar module manufacturing facility in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Located in Port Elizabeth’s COEGA Industrial Development Zone, this facility will service domestic customers and the broader Southern African region with solar modules assembled from JA Solar's high-efficiency cells.
Production is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2014, with the plant targeted to reach an initial annualized capacity of 150 MW. At a BBBEE level 3 status, the facility is expected to provide over 200 employment opportunities to the local community within the first year of Production. JA Solar and Powerway South Africa have the option to expand the production capacity of the facility up to 600 MW to meet growth in regional demand.
Mr. Baofang Jin, executive chairman and CEO of JA Solar, commented, "This facility will play a crucial role as we seek to benefit from the significant growth potential across the Southern African region. Improved cost-effectiveness is making solar an increasingly attractive energy alternative in South Africa. Having a presence on the ground will give us the local knowledge and qualification needed to identify and pursuit the best commercial opportunities while providing better services to our customer."
"We're delighted to be working with Powerway South Africa, which has built up a powerful brand and an extensive sales network in South Africa through a long-established track record," he added.
"We're seeing increasing demand for quality solar modules in the South African market and the central position of this facility means it is ideally located for exports from the COEGA Port and will serve project sites in Northern Cape, Western Cape,Gauteng and the greater Southern Africa region," said Mr. Charles Domingo, Managing Director of Powerway South Africa. "We already have a long and fruitful relationship with JA Solar and are delighted to be extending that into a new and exciting market."