Kimberly-Clark, Energy Partners Sign PPA for One of Cape Town’s Largest Rooftop Solar Systems

Epping manufacturing facility will be home to new 2.2MW system
Mar 1, 2024 12:00 PM ET
Campaign: Carbon Footprint

Kimberly-Clark and integrated energy solutions company, Energy Partners (EP), have signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to install one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the terms of the agreement, EP will install a 2.2MW rooftop system at Kimberly Clark’s Epping manufacturing site of well-known brands Huggies® and Kotex®.

Once the project is completed, the rooftop system at Epping facility will allow an annual energy production of 3,478 MWh per year which will save over 3,130 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year[1], equivalent to powering 1,030 median residential homes in the country every year[2]

Collaboration

Charl du Plessis, General Manager of EP Power, confirms that the design of the system was developed in close collaboration with Kimberly-Clark’s local and international engineers and project managers to ensure compliance with regulatory and design specifications.

“The new rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will enhance Kimberly-Clark’s capacity to manage electricity consumption, whilst also enabling them to substantially increase their renewables penetration. This is especially exciting to us, and we are proud to be part of the Kimberly-Clark journey to meeting their 2030 sustainability goals,” says du Plessis.

Steven Hayes, General Manager of Kimberly-Clark Sub-Saharan Africa says, “We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and this project will contribute toward helping us meet our 2030 goal to reduce total emissions by 50% compared to 2015 globally. The installation of this rooftop solar photovoltaic system and partnership with Energy Partners is a significant step toward achieving our renewable energy targets, and we are proud to be part of the solution in creating a more sustainable future for South Africa.”

[1] Emission Factor in 2023 from IEA and in SOFI = 0.9 kg/kwh

[2]www.worlddata.info