Yellow Door Energy, the leading sustainable energy partner for businesses in the Middle East and South Africa, has broken ground on the 49 MWp Lion Thorn Solar Park near Leeudoringstad in the Maquassi Hills local municipality. The milestone marks the project’s transition from financial close into construction, with commissioning and commercial operation expected in 2028.
PowerChina has been appointed as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor responsible for delivering the solar park, bringing extensive international experience in renewable energy construction.
Once operational, Lion Thorn Solar Park will supply clean electricity via solar wheeling to offtakers. The project has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with PPC, a leading South African cement and construction materials producer, as part of PPC’s strategy to build a greener, more sustainable business by increasing its use of renewable energy and reducing its carbon footprint, and PowerX, a NERSA-licensed electricity trader.
Jeremy Crane, Group CEO of Yellow Door Energy, said: “Lion Thorn Solar Park demonstrates the important role of collaboration, bringing together private investment, international expertise and local knowledge to support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. By working together, we can help businesses strengthen energy security and expand access to reliable, cost-competitive clean electricity. At Yellow Door Energy, we remain committed to reducing our own emissions and achieving Net Zero by 2040 as we continue to grow our clean energy portfolio.”
John Taylor, managing director of Yellow Door Energy South Africa, added: “The groundbreaking marks the start of an exciting new phase for Lion Thorn Solar Park. We look forward to working closely with PowerChina, local contractors, suppliers and the community to successfully deliver the project and create meaningful opportunities in the region. As we expand our wheeling portfolio in South Africa, we also look forward to supporting more businesses with reliable, competitively priced clean electricity.”
Jiekun Qin (Ken), project representative at PowerChina, commented: “We are pleased to partner with Yellow Door Energy to build Lion Thorn Solar Park. We bring global experience in utility-scale renewable energy and look forward to working with local contractors, suppliers and skilled workers to deliver the project and support the local community.”
Lion Thorn Solar Park is expected to generate approximately 115 GWh of renewable electricity in its first year and to avoid an estimated 104,190 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The project is also expected to create employment and economic opportunities during construction and operations, with a focus on local jobs, skills and suppliers in the Maquassi Hills and surrounding communities.
