China’s state-owned engineering giant, Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), is accelerating its expansion across Africa with a renewed emphasis on renewable energy, positioning the continent as a cornerstone of its global growth strategy.
Speaking at a Bloomberg event on Tuesday, senior executive Chen Guanfu described Africa as “PowerChina’s second home,” noting that the company plans to establish a presence in nearly every African country within the next five years. Despite a sharp decline in Chinese sovereign lending to Africa—from a peak of around $28 billion in 2016—state-backed firms like PowerChina continue to advance large-scale infrastructure projects, shifting their focus from coal to cleaner energy sources.
Africa currently contributes roughly 30% of PowerChina’s international revenue, but Chen projected that this share could rise to between 40% and 45% by 2030. The projected growth is expected to come from expanded investment in solar and wind farms, hydropower facilities, and gas-fired plants that support energy security across the continent. The company’s strategy aligns with both African governments’ decarbonization targets and growing demand for reliable electricity to support industrialization.
In South Africa alone, PowerChina is involved in renewable energy projects valued at approximately $3.5 billion. These include large-scale solar photovoltaic developments and the Redstone concentrated solar power (CSP) project—one of the most advanced CSP initiatives in the region. PowerChina has also completed major projects elsewhere on the continent, such as the Adama wind farm in Ethiopia, which has become a key contributor to Ethiopia’s renewable energy supply.
Chen highlighted the Oya hybrid renewable energy project in South Africa as a landmark initiative designed to stabilize electricity from intermittent renewable sources. Developed in partnership with local and international companies, including South Africa’s utility Eskom, the project combines multiple technologies to create a more dependable clean-energy output.
According to Chen, the Oya project serves as a test case for similar systems that PowerChina hopes to roll out across its more than 100 overseas markets. He emphasized that Africa’s vast wind, solar, and hydropower potential makes it an ideal proving ground for new renewable technologies that the company aims to globalize.
This strategic shift underscores PowerChina’s intent to play a central role in Africa’s energy transition while deepening its long-term commercial presence on the continent.
Source:Africa Publicity
