Release by Scatec, the subsidiary of the Norwegian Scatec Group, has signed agreements for the installation of three scalable solar power plants with storage in Cameroon and Chad. The solar systems installed under these new contracts will have a combined capacity of 43.7 MWp.
The harvest is good for Release by Scatec in Central Africa. The subsidiary of the Norwegian group Scatec has won several contracts for the deployment of its decentralized power generation solutions in two countries in the sub-region. In Cameroon, Release by Scatec has signed an agreement with the utility Energy of Cameroon (Eneo) for solar projects in Maroua and Guider in the north of the country.
The company will install two solar photovoltaic plants totalling 36 MWp. The contract also includes the installation of 20 MW/19 MWh battery storage systems. The main objective of these solar power plants will be to reduce the frequency of load shedding in northern Cameroon. This part of the country is supplied by the Lagdo hydroelectric plant, which was commissioned in 1982 with a capacity of 72 MW. However, due to silting of the dam and the obsolescence of related facilities, the plant’s capacity has dropped to 30 MW, causing load shedding in the northern part of Cameroon.
IFC support
As part of its new contract, Release by Scatec is receiving support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector financing arm. “IFC will contribute 10-20% of the Cameroon project costs and will continue to support Release by Scatec’s development through project development activities and future financing,” Scatec says.
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“This agreement marks our entry into the Cameroon market, and we are proud to contribute with a cost-effective and immediate solution to a cleaner and more stable power supply in a region suffering from power shortages caused by droughts limiting the supply of hydroelectric power,” says its CEO, Raymond Carlsen. His subsidiary, which specializes in scalable clean energy systems, will execute its contract in several phases, the first of which will be delivered by the end of 2021. The other phases will be completed by mid-2022.
A solar power plant in Chad
Release by Scatec has signed a contract with Chadian solar off-grid provider Ziz Energie for the delivery of a 7.7 MWp solar photovoltaic plant. The plant will provide electricity to 300,000 people in at least five provincial towns in Chad. ZIZ Energy is implementing these off-grid solar electrification projects with the support of the Netherlands Development Finance Corporation (FMO) and Energy Access Ventures.
Read also- CHAD: BDEAC lends €6m to Ziz for hybrid solar mini-grids in 2 cities
A few days ago, the company obtained a loan of 4 billion CFA francs (more than 6 million euros) from the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC) for the electrification of the towns of Mongo and Ati via hybrid solar mini-power stations with distribution networks. Release by Scatec plans to deliver its 7.7 MWp solar power plant during 2022.
Jean Marie Takouleu
