- IFC and Globeleq are on board to realize a 100 MW AC solar power plant in DRC
- Project has been developed by by CIGenCo, Greenshare Energy, Greenshare Congo, Volt Renewables and Nzuri Energy
- It will enter construction in 2023 and achieve completion over the next 12 months
- Power generated will be sold to be national utility and support the country’s mining industry
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and independent power producer (IPP) Globeleq have come together to support a 100 MW AC solar power plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which will support mining operations and economic activity in the region.
Planned as one among the largest solar PV projects in the DRC, it was originally developed by CIGenCo, Greenshare Energy, Greenshare Congo, Volt Renewables and Nzuri Energy.
The solar project will be connected to the grid on completion in Kolwezi region of the country and power sold to the national utility. The facility is expected to enter construction in 2023 and achieve completion in 12 months.
A member of the World Bank Group, the IFC said it will provide up to $900,000 for the planned facility through its collaborations and Co-development Financing Program, with up to an equal amount from Finland-IFC Blended Finance for Climate Program.
Project partners believe the solar plant will bring down the cost of electricity in the region while also diversifying DRC’s electricity mix with cleaner sources as Greenshare Congo DRC Representative Dr. Adolphe Ngoyi Kitengie explained, “The DRC urgently needs investment in its power sector to meet its increasing industrial demand and production deficit.” The IFC shared World Bank data that only 19% of the country’s total population had access to electricity in 2019.
In June 2021, DRC’s national utility SNEL entered 2 power purchase agreements for 2×100 MW solar power plants that are to be located in the copper and cobalt rich region in the country. One of these projects is slated to come up in Kolwezi, and another in Likasi (see 200 MW Solar PV Projects Coming Up In DR Congo).
