Independent power producer Globeleq, with a focus on Africa, has announced the launch of commercial operations at the 19-megawatt peak (MWp) Cuamba solar park in Mozambique. This facility will provide electricity to the country's utility, EDM-Electricidade de Mozambique.
Distinguished by its solar-plus-storage configuration, the photovoltaic (PV) park is coupled with a 7-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, marking Globeleq's inaugural solar-plus-storage complex in Mozambique. The project is a collaboration with renewable energy platform Source Energia and Mozambique's state-owned EDM.
Situated in the Cuamba district of the Niassa province, this project was successfully realized at a total investment cost of $36 million (EUR 34.1 million). The solar farm is designed to generate power equivalent to the annual consumption needs of approximately 22,000 local households and is secured through a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDM.
The project's financing structure involved the contribution of approximately $19 million from the Private Infrastructure Development Group's (PIDG) member, Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund. An additional $7 million was provided through PIDG's Viability Gap Funding (VGF) grant facility. The British International Investment's technical assistance facility, BII Plus, extended a $1 million grant to support the battery component of the project. This accomplishment signifies a significant step forward in expanding renewable energy initiatives in the Niassa Province of Mozambique.
