- Neoen and Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) have reached financial close of the 41MW Central Solar Metoro solar photovoltaic power plant located in northern Mozambique.
- Construction has begun and the plant will enter service in late 2020 and will feed into the Metoro substation (Ancuabe district), the main transmission and distribution substation in northern Mozambique.
- EPC Efacec, a Portuguese group established in Mozambique will building the plant.
The project will boost power supply to the Provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula, which are currently the driving force behind the country’s industrial development.
The capex on the project is US56 million, of which US40 million will be provided in the form of debt by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and its subsidiary Proparco. Efacec, a Portuguese group established in Mozambique for several decades, will build the facility.
Construction will take 11 months, creating up to 370 jobs, the vast majority of which will be filled by local employees, with professional training being provided. Throughout the facility’s scheduled service life of 25 years, it will provide around 30 permanent jobs, delivering a sustained boost to the Metoro village economy.
During development of the project, the population’s needs were surveyed and a community development plan was drawn up in conjunction with the local authorities. The plan is geared towards delivering wider access to education and will be funded by a portion of the revenue generated by the solar power plant.
Cyril Perrin, Neoen’s regional director in southern Africa based in Maputo, commented: “I would like to thank our partners at EDM for the trust they have shown in Neoen. The power provided by the plant is vital in ensuring the stability of the power grid in northern Mozambique and contributing to the rapid economic growth of this region. We are especially pleased that the project has been designed in consultation with the local authorities and communities. Special attention will be paid to its local impact during the construction phase and 25-year service life in terms of access to employment, training and via a community development plan.”
Aly Sicola Impija, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of EDM, commented: “The 41 MWp solar power plant will deliver increased capacity in northern Mozambique, thereby helping to curb losses. The partnership in which EDM has a 25% and Neoen a 75% interest is the second solar power project on this scale to go ahead in Mozambique and will diversify the country’s power sources. The Metoro power plant will increase the region’s generating capacity to meet demand there, while enabling EDM to reach the most outlying of areas. The initiative will mark a step forward under the Energy for all (“Energia para todos”) program, which aims to give Mozambique’s entire population access to electricity by 2030. We wish to congratulate the partners who are helping to make this project become a reality, and we sincerely hope that it meets its goal on schedule.”
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
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