The 10 megawatt, USD19 million solar photovoltaic plant in Uganda is expected to be operational and connected to the national grid in July 2016, providing clean, low-carbon, sustainable electricity to 40,000 homes and businesses. It is also the largest privately-funded solar power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, outside of South Africa, the companies report.

 

TSK Group has been awarded the EPC contract

Access Uganda Solar Limited, a partnership between Access Infra Africa and EREN RE, will build the solar PV plant in the town of Soroti, 300 kilometres northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala. Spain’s TSK Group has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract and will sub-contract parts of the work to local firms. Local labour is being hired for the construction phase and the developers will also recruit and train engineers to operate the plant.

 

First grid-connected solar plant in Uganda

The location was chosen due to the region’s low power generation capacity and the need to reduce transmission losses. The first grid-connected solar plant in Uganda, Soroti will make a significant contribution to increasing electrification rates in the region, which enjoys some of the highest levels of solar resources in the country. In addition, with a design life of 30 years, the plant has the capacity to expand as its sub-station is able to handle a further 20 MW of solar energy.

 

Solar power plant developed under the GET FiT Facility

The Soroti project is the first solar power plant successfully developed under the GET FiT Facility, a dedicated support scheme for renewable energy projects managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank in partnership with the Government of Uganda through the country’s Electricity Regulatory Agency (ERA). The GET FiT solar facility is funded by the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund, and the programme is also supported by the governments of Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom.

 

The project was financed by a mix of debt and equity with the senior debt facility being provided by FMO, the Netherlands development bank, and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).

Developed jointly by Access and EREN RE, the power plant is the first project of a broader strategic partnership. EREN RE is a shareholder of Access and both companies will reportedly continue to partner to develop mid- and large-scale photovoltaic and wind farms across Africa.

Source : solarserver.com