- InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and its Canadian project partner, JCM Power (JCM) have commissioned a 28.5 MW solar plant with a 5MW/10MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system in Dedza, approximately 100km south east of Lilongwe.
- The Golomoti Solar plant is the first utility scale solar photovoltaic plant in Malawi to include a battery storage.
The two companies signed a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Malawian government and a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the state-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM).
Golomoti is “a pioneering solar energy and energy storage project that will serve as a catalyst for many similar projects in the future. In addition to developing and financing the project, JCM Power managed the execution of the work. Despite many challenges due to the impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic, we are pleased with the speed of project execution, the positive economic benefits to Malawi, and the safety of our employees and communities,” said Christian Wray, Managing Director of JCM Power.
The 60ha Golomoti site sits within 110ha of land leased by JCM located to the south of the town of Golomoti, enabling future expansion of the solar and energy storage elements. Image credit: JCM Power
Funding and debt cover
The project was made possible with the support of several development finance institutions, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded the development phase of the project. The UK government’s Innovate UK Energy Catalyst program provided a grant for the installation of the battery storage system.
JCM Power also obtained a loan from the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) for the project. The Golomoti solar plant is covered by a liquidity guarantee from the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI).
The Golomoti solar project has benefited from knowledge-sharing with its sister project, the Salima solar project, with both projects key to transforming regulatory frameworks around Malawi’s renewable energy sector. Read more on the 60MW Salima solar project HERE
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
