Globeleq, Africa’s independent power producer, has recently announced the launch of commercial operations at the 19 MWp Cuamba Solar PV and 7 MWh energy storage plant in northern Mozambique. Globeleq, majority-owned by British International Investment (BII), began active development on the project in 2019 alongside local partners Source Energia, an energy developer focused on Lusophone Africa, and Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), the Mozambican national power utility company.
Located in Niassa province, one of Mozambique’s most underserved provinces with an electrification rate of just over 20 per cent, the $36 million project will provide clean energy to 18,000 households and support the creation of local jobs.
The project marks a significant milestone as the first IPP grid-scale storage plant in sub-Saharan Africa. Cuamba is also Globeleq’s first greenfield-to-operations project in Mozambique and the Group’s first combined solar and storage plant.
Chris Chijiutomi, Managing Director and Head of Africa, 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. Additionally, the unique battery storage technology, which was in part funded by our technical assistance fund BII Plus, 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.”
