DPA Cancels Solar Power Lease Due to Construction Delays

Solar power developer, Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a subsidiary of the Econet Group, has cancelled an electricity lease contract with Nyanza Light Metals, a titanium plastics manufacturer based in Sandton, South Africa. According to a statement from DPA Africa, the cancellation results from delays in the construction of the Nyanza plant in the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ). Both companies reached an agreement in August 2020 to deploy a solar power plant at Nyanza’s titanium mineral processing and chemical manufacturing plant in Richards Bay.

Under the agreement, DPA was expected to utilise ground-mounted and rooftop solar systems to power a new plant to produce titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments. The solar power plant, when fully completed, was expected to supply 10MWp, about half of the facility’s energy demand. The first phase, which was meant to be completed in January 2021, will have seen the generation of 1MW or the facility.

The cancelled project was promising for its commercial and industrial (C&I) growth in South Africa, as it represented the largest solar PV system built by DPA.

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