CrossBoundary Access raises $10 million for solar mini-grids; Scatec’s Release launches hybrid solar & storage projects in Cameroon; BOAD approves XOF 15 billion for Senegal solar & storage plant.
Financing for solar mini-grids: CrossBoundary Access has raised $10 million in new funding from the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) to support solar mini-grids in rural Africa. The $10 million from SEFA adds to the $25 million it raised from ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, Bank of America, and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund in June last year. Altogether, CrossBoundary Access says it will deploy $150 million over the next 3 years to bring clean energy to 1 million people in Africa via solar mini-grids combined with batteries.
Hybrid projects in Cameroon: The pre-assembled solar PV and battery equipment platform Release by Norway’s Scatec has launched 2 hybrid solar power plants with 36 MW combined capacity along with 20 MW/19 MWh storage component, in Cameroon. Located in Maroua and Guider in the Grand-North region of the country, these plants are the 1st of their kind in the African nation. The plants use more than 44,800 bifacial solar panels mounted on trackers, capable of generating 80 GWh annually. Release entered into a lease agreement with local electricity company ENEO in 2021 to deliver the projects.
BOAD loan for Senegal project: The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has approved a loan worth XOF 15 billion ($24 million) for Teranga Niakhar Storage that’s developing a 30 MW solar power plant with 15 MW/45 MWh storage in Senegal. It will contribute to a better coverage of power demand and a more secure power supply in the country, stated the bank. According to local media reports, the special purpose company Teranga Niakhar Storage is owned by Energy Resources Senegal. It will use the proceeds to build the solar power plant in Niakhar in the Fatik region of the country. The storage component will be built by Omexom, a subsidiary of France’s Vinci Group. The electricity offtaker will be the state-owned utility SENELEC.
Cuamba solar plant in Mozambique: The 19 MW Cuamba Solar PV Plant in Mozambique’s Niassa was recently commissioned by the country’s President Filipe Nyusi. Africa-based Source Energia realized the project that was developed by Globeleq. The solar power plant with 2 MW/7 MWh storage capacity is contracted to supply clean power to state utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Globeleq called it the company’s 1st greenfield-to-operations plant in Mozambique and the 1st combined solar PV and storage plant of the company anywhere.
