wiredinUSA January 2013

wiredInUSA - January 2013

Lear Corporation has announced

that its new automotive wiring plant in

Morocco's Amer Safliaarea is scheduled to

open in 2013. The plant will create around

700 jobs, and is expected to increase

significantly in the future based on the

projected growth in Lear's Electrical

Power Management Systems business.

Lear currently operates three plants in

Morocco – two in Tangier for electrical

wiring systems and automotive seating,

and one in Rabat, supplying electronics

such as battery chargers to European

car makers including BMW, Renault and

Volkswagen.

"Lear is proud to plan the opening of

another world-class automotive electrical

wiring plant as we focus on our customers'

needs," said Mariano de Torres, Lear

vice-president, Europe/Africa - electrical

and electronics. "We also are pleased to

be working with Morocco's MEDZ Atlantic

Free Zone Investment and Fonciere

Chella."

Lear launches new facility

Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd is to supply

approximately 100MW of solar panels for

two projects being developed, built and

operated by a consortium led by Main-

stream Renewable Power in South Africa.

The projects, at two separate sites in the

Northern Cape of South Africa, will be

designed and constructed by Siemens

and operational by mid-2014.

The solar systems are expected to gener-

ate 180GW hours of electricity, enough to

power approximately 15,000 households

and displace approximately 180,000 tons

of carbon emissions per year.

"We are all proud to participate in the

South African government's first round

of tenders and be awarded as suppliers

for these two photovoltaic plants. The

combination of Suntech's technology

and Siemens' execution strength as well

as our strong local team set-up will form

a perfect partnership that will set the

highest standard for our partner

Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd,"

stated Ted Scheidegger, CEO of Siemens

solar and hydro division.

The 100MW solar plants are among

the first projects to be granted licenses

under South Africa's first renewable

energy independent power producer

program (REIPPP).

Solar collaboration

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

INDEX

The construction industry in Africa's newest

nation, South Sudan, will receive a boost

when a steel manufacturing facility begins

operations in Juba early next year.

Edward International Company Ltd started

operations in January 2012 and has now

established a factory to produce steel

products including iron sheets and bars,

electric cables and water pipes.

"We will be producing all types of different

building materials locally here. Since we

will be producing locally, we [can offer a]

competitive price," said general manager

Kirolos Edward Assad.

South Sudan is witnessing a rapid devel-

opment drive after decades of civil war,

but using chiefly imported construction

materials. Starting with paint production

in February 2013, the factory expects

to employ over three thousand South

Sudanese in the plant.

Meanwhile, the under-secretary of

commerce, industry and investment,

Mr Simon Nyany Anei, has appealed for

more investors to come to the Republic of

South Sudan, explaining: "We need more

industries for the development of South

Sudan."

South Sudan steel

The UAE’s Shams 1 solar project will be

the first large-scale solar project in the

country when it is completed at the end of

the year, and the largest of its kind in the

Middle East. At full capacity, the 100MW

concentrated solar project will power

20,000 homes.

"We truly believe solar will be a major con-

tributor to meeting our own requirements,"

said Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the UAE's spe-

cial envoy for energy and climate change,

and the CEO of government-funded

Masdar, the majority investor in the project.

"We are not like many other countries

today that are in desperate need for

complementary sources of power," Jaber

said. "We are looking at it from a strategic

point of view...we want to become a

technology player, rather than an energy

player."

The Middle East region has largely avoided

solar power on the grounds of cost, but

technological advances have reduced

costs and many oil-gas rich countries are

reconsidering renewables amid growing

demands for power. There are also fears,

especially in Saudi Arabia, that their once

seemingly limitless oil resources may have

peaked and they could, in time, become

net oil importers.

Solar taking shape in UAE