- Final negotiations underway for GDS Orion Solar project after seven year delay.
- Capacity upgraded to 30 MW with battery storage as northern Cameroon strengthens solar pipeline.
- Government confirms technical and financial approvals are complete.
Cameroon is entering the final phase of negotiations to authorise GDS Orion Solar to build and operate a new utility scale solar power plant in Ngaoundéré, reviving a project first launched in 2018. The confirmation was given by Minister of Water and Energy Gaston Eloundou Essomba during a briefing to the National Assembly in late November 2025.
According to the minister, all technical studies have been completed, a draft power purchase agreement has been prepared, and the Ministry of Finance has issued a favourable opinion allowing the state to cover the related financial risks. Only the final round of negotiations with the developer remains before the contractual documents can be signed and the project formally enters the implementation phase.
The project was originally initiated by the French consortium Générale du Solaire and Arborescence Capital. In June 2019, the partners created the special purpose vehicle GDS Orion Solar and signed an investment agreement valued at 25 million US dollars, equivalent to CFA 15 billion, with Cameroon’s Investment Promotion Agency. The agreement covered the development of a 20 MW solar power plant in Ngaoundéré, but progress stalled in subsequent years, delaying construction and casting uncertainty over the project’s future.
Plans presented to Parliament show a significantly expanded scope. Installed capacity has been increased from 20 MWc to 30 MWc, and a 20 MWh battery storage system has been added to the design. The plant will be built in the Massiwol locality and delivered by the project company GDS Orion Solaire Ngaoundéré SAS.
If completed, the facility will strengthen electricity supply in northern Cameroon, a region that has emerged as the country’s primary solar development hub due to its high irradiation levels. The Adamaoua, North and Far North regions record average solar irradiation of around 5.8 kWh per square metre per day, compared with about 4 kWh in the southern regions. This advantage has already supported the rollout of large scale projects such as the Maroua and Guider solar plants, which are being expanded from an initial 30 MWc to a combined capacity of 64 MWc.
The Ngaoundéré project would further diversify an energy mix still dominated by hydropower. While construction remains contingent on the final signing of the power purchase agreement and remaining contractual steps, government confirmation that regulatory, technical and financial reviews are complete represents the most significant progress since the project was first announced. Once operational, the 30 MWc solar plant with integrated storage would rank among the most advanced renewable energy installations in the region.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
