South Africa Accelerates Solar Expansion – PNE Achieves Financial Close for 240 MW Solar Park

Münster, Cuxhaven / Germany – South Africa is pushing forward the expansion of renewable energies with ambitious targets: The 2025-approved Renewable Energy Master Plan (SAREM) foresees up to 5,000 MW of new capacity annually – primarily from solar and wind power. The plan lays the foundation for sustainable industrialization and new jobs. PNE is benefiting from this development.

The renewable energy market in South Africa is also of great importance to PNE. With two new photovoltaic projects totaling 350 MW, PNE, together with local partners, contributes to the achievement of the country’s renewable energy expansion goals. The renewable energy project developer has been active in South Africa since 2010 and is currently developing projects with a total capacity of over 5,000 MW (5 GW).

Milestone in South Africa – Financial Close Secured for 240 MW Khauta South Solar Park The internationally operating PNE Group has made significant progress in South Africa: At the beginning of June 2025, the Financial Close for the large-scale photovoltaic project Khauta South with an installed capacity of 240 MW was officially confirmed by Standard Bank. Construction has already begun, and commissioning is planned for early 2027. Furthermore, PNE expects the Financial Close for the 110 MW Khauta West PV project by the end of July 2025.

Both projects were sold to the South African energy company NOA Group Ltd. (NOA) at the beginning of 2024, while PNE, through its subsidiary WKN Windcurrent, remains significantly involved in project development. “Financial Close on the Khauta South Solar PV project is a major achievement, and the PNE-Group is proud to have played a key role in its early-stage development,” emphasizes Heiko Wuttke, CEO of PNE AG. Even after the sale, close collaboration with NOA has continued.

“This deal is testament to the power of partnership and the shared commitment between NOA and WKN to accelerate the build out of large scale renewable energy in South Africa,” adds Karel Cornelissen, CEO of NOA, underlining the strategic importance of the cooperation.

5,000 MW per Year: South Africa Accelerates Renewable Energy Expansion South Africa pursues ambitious goals within its energy policy framework. At the end of March 2025, the Cabinet officially adopted the South African Renewable Energy Master Plan (SAREM), a central component of South Africa’s strategy for sustainable, green industrialization. Among the goals and priorities of the plan is the annual expansion of renewable generation capacity ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 MW, focusing on solar and wind energy. This is also intended to support the development of domestic manufacturing capacities. The Master Plan aims to create over 25,000 new jobs by 2030, primarily through local manufacturing of components such as solar modules, inverters, wind turbine towers, cables, and battery storage.

An important foundation of the existing market development for renewable energies in South Africa is the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP or REI4P). The program mainly targets large independent power producers (IPPs) who develop and operate utility-scale projects such as solar or wind parks. REI4P is based on a competitive auction system.

According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of around 6,200 MW (6.2 GW) were installed in South Africa by the end of 2024. The installed wind energy capacity in South Africa was around 3,450 MW at the end of 2024.

Source: IWR Online, 24 Jun 2025