The Government of Mozambique plans to set up 11 solar PV mini grids in the African country – and for the project it has advertised to hire a consultant. The selected candidate will be required to conduct feasibility studies and draft the projects.

An expression of interest (EOI) by the country’s energy fund Fundo de Energia or FUNAE specifies that it has identified 11 potential PV mini grid sites across several districts. These sites will host solar and storage facilities and help increase access to energy services in rural villages of the African country. The identified sites are located in the districts of Majune, Mecula, Lago, Mandimba, Memba, Zumbo, Magoe, Machanga, Tambara and Macossa.

These mini-grids will be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model wherein independent power producers (IPP) will invest, operate and maintain the facilities under power purchase agreements (PPA) with EDM.

Selected consultant will also offer advisory services to FUNAE in selecting contractors for the mini grids.

FUNAE will be accepting applications from interested consultants till May 19, 2020. Detailed terms and conditions of the tender are available on FUNAE’s website.

Consultancy services will be reimbursed through part of financing received from the World Bank toward the cost of Energy For All (ProEnergia) program which FUNAE and national power utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) are tasked with implementing in Mozambique. It focuses on expanding electricity access to peri-urban and rural areas by piloting solar PV mini-grids in off-grid areas and extending existing grid network. Under its National Electrification Strategy (NES), Mozambique plans to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030.