Galp Foundation supports installation of photovoltaic systems in Cabo Delgado
Photo: Twitter / @Globeleq
The London-based independent power producer Globeleq (an institution formed by Norwegian and British funds) has launched commercial operations at its Cuamba solar and battery storage plant in Mozambique.
The power plant was officially inaugurated on Thursday by President Filipe Nyusi at a ceremony in the northern province of Niassa.
According to Globeleq, the Cuamba Solar Photovoltaic Project is a 19-megawatt peak facility and includes Mozambique’s first grid-scale battery storage system, with a capacity to store two megawatts (seven megawatt-hours).
The project has been under active development since 2019 with Globeleq working with its local partners, the publicly-owned electricity company EDM and the company Source Energia.
It will provide enough electricity for EDM to supply 21,800 consumers over a 25-year period. Globeleq estimates that over the life of the project it will avoid the equivalent of more than 172,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
According to Globeleq, the 36 million US dollar project will “bring transformational development to the area, providing clean energy to 18,000 households, and support the creation of local jobs”.
Commenting on the start of operations, Chris Chijiutomi, managing director and head of Africa, British International Investment (BII), said “We are excited to see Cuamba enter operations and helping to meet Mozambique’s growing need for power supply by adding clean energy to the northern grid”.
He added, “The unique battery storage technology … will allow electricity generated during the day to be stored and used during the night, helping meet evening peak demand and increasing the efficiency and reliability of power supply in the region”.
Cuamba is the third solar power station in the country. The first was built in Mocuba, in Zambezia province, and has been in operation since 2019, whilst the second, at Metoro, in Cabo Delgado, began operations last year.
READ: Mozambique: New solar power plant inaugurated in Cuamba – Watch
Mozambique: President inaugurates country’s largest solar plant in Cabo Delgado – Watch
Globeleq is 70 per cent owned by BII (the British state development finance institution) and 30 per cent owned by the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries, Norfund.
Cuamba will provide power to 21,800 Mozambicans & displace over 172,000 tonnes of carbon over the lifetime of the project. Cuamba was financed by the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, a member of@PIDGorg as well as PIDG’s Viability Gap Funding grant facility & BII Plus. 2/2
— Globeleq (@Globeleq) September 14, 2023
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