The solar energy plant planned for Paarl in South Africa’s Western Cape could begin producing power in the next two or three years according to Henri Loubser the project director for new energy at Sasol. The thin-film solar energy facility is a public-private partnership between the University of Johannesburg and private investors; Sasol has a 40% stake in the project.
The facility will have a 40 MW capacity and technology is being developed at a test facility in Germany to be transferred to the South African project. In December 2008 the European Investment Bank announced that it had issued a loan for the construction of the solar energy facility.
Other shareholders in the project are the state-owned Central Energy Fund (45%) and the National Empowerment Fund (6.5%). Through its commercial arm, Photovoltaic Intellectual Property, the University of Johannesburg has an 8.5% interest in the partnership.