Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has completed a photovoltaic solar panel installation at its Component Plant in Kariega, Eastern Cape, adding 0.88MWp of capacity to a renewable energy programme that now supplies 40% of Plant Kariega’s electricity requirements. The project, finished in June 2026, comprises 1,410 panels across building rooftops, a car park canopy, and a ground-level array.

The Component Plant is the latest in a sequence of solar investments across the Kariega site. An earlier multi-phase car park installation runs to 9,294 panels and 5.2MWp of capacity, generating approximately 7,125 MW/h annually. Separate arrays on the Final Assembly building roof (1.7MWp) and the engine plant (1.0MWp) were also completed previously.

Together the four installations form part of a long-term roadmap toward carbon-neutral electricity across VWGA’s production operations. The 40% green energy share recorded in 2025 reflects cumulative progress, but also points to the distance that remains before production electricity is fully decarbonised.

In a statement, Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director, said: “We have made significant strides in recent years towards fully sustainable manufacturing. As a company we remain committed towards practices that are responsible and sustainable, and our work in increasing our green footprint is never done.”

Source: Volkswagen Group Africa