Uganda is set to add 10 MW to the national grid in July, when a new solar plant to be built by Middle East and Spanish investors is expected to come on stream.
Dubai-based Access Energy Group and Eren RE have awarded TSK Group, of Spain, the contract to construct the $19-million Soroti solar photovoltaic plant, starting next month.
TSK Group will oversee the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant, a project that is expected to take three to four months.
“The plant will provide clean, low-carbon, sustainable electricity for 40 000 homes and businesses,” says Access Energy MD Reda El Chaar.
The Soroti solar plant will be the largest privately funded solar power plant in sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa. It will be located some 300 km north-east of Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
As the first grid-connected solar plant in Uganda, Soroti will make a significant contribution to increasing electricity access in the country, which continues to experience recurring energy crises. Only 10% of the country’s 37-million people have access to electricity.
The landlocked nation has an installed electricity generation capacity of 810 MW and peak demand of 509 MW. Peak demand is growing at an average of 10% a year, and this has forced Uganda to accelerate investment in the energy sector.
The Soroti project, designed to operate for 30 years, is the first solar power plant success-fully developed under the GET FiT Facility, a dedicated support scheme for renewable-energy projects managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank. The facility is funded by the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund and supported by the governments of Germany, Norway and the UK.