leading Chinese solar products manufacturer, JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., has been awarded a contract to supply 100MW of photovoltaic solar modules in Zimbabwe.
The project will be made up of combined installed capacity of 300 MW given that the solar modules will be supplied to one of the first 3 large-scale ground-mounted solar power facilities in Zimbabwe under 3 contractors.
The other two contractors are Intratrek Zimbabwe and ZTE, China MCC17 Group. Each contractor will deliver 100MW totaling to 300MW of power.
However, JA Solar will supply its PV modules to China MCC17 Group for the project it is constructing.
The power plants will be located in Munyati, Insukamini (small community near Munyati), and Gwanda, the capital of Matabeleland South (Zimbabwean province located next to the Botswana border), this is according to a statement issued by the State Procurement Board of Zimbabwe.
The project is expected to serve the electricity needs of the Zimbabwean people.”
According to JA Solar spokesman, the company had begun the project supply negotiations with the Zimbabwe Power Company to supply modules for the Munyati project earlier this year.
the negotiations conclusions led China MCC17 Group to chose JA Solar as their exclusive module supplier after winning the bid to construct the Munyati solar power project.
JA Solar won a total of US$179m part of the US$544m total cost of the 3 projects.
Even though the project agreement and contract has been concluded, construction work is expected to commence toward the end of 2016 or better yet early 2017 and the construction activities is however, expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
Like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe faces a severe shortage of electricity. Currently, the country’s power demands are sustained by a hydropower station, one large thermal power station and three other small thermal power stations.
Furthermore for the last 2 years, the nation has been sweeping blackouts in cities across the country due to heavy power consumption by the mining companies.
Nonetheless, Zimbabwean government is doing its best to speed up the construction of the 3 large scale ground-mounted PV power plants.
Following the Chinese President Xi Jinping visit to Zimbabwe, the 2 states agreed to engage in a series of collaborations in multiple sectors, including trade and energy.
According JA Solar Executive President, the company will not only establish stronger relationships in Zimbabwe but will as well lay a foundation for the company to develop relationships with other African countries.
The company will also keep its commitment to providing higher-quality solar products for markets across the globe, as they continue to pursue the highest quality in their products in order to best serve their customers.
