Independent Power Producer (IPP) Astra Energy has entered into a partnership with the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC). The aim is to develop 100 MW of renewable energies under a public-private partnership (PPP).
Lesotho could see its installed electrical capacity jump by 100 MW. This is the objective of American company Astra Energy, which has entered into a partnership with the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC), through “its agent” Aztec Management Consultants. Aztec Management Consultants. This partnership could enable Lesotho to double its installed capacity.
This southern African kingdom, landlocked by South Africa, has an installed capacity of just 77 MW for a population estimated by the World Bank at 2.2 million. According to Power Africa, 95% of this electricity comes from hydroelectric schemes. Astra’s investments could therefore contribute to the diversification of the kingdom’s electricity mix.
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According to the company headed by Ron Loudoun, “the project will improve the reliability of the electricity supply, which is essential for a growing economy. Successful completion of the project will also create direct and indirect employment, and have a positive impact on other sectors of the economy that depend heavily on a regular, cost-effective supply of electricity”. The partnership signed in Lesotho joins other projects launched by Astra in recent months in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Tanzania, the company has committed to developing a 50 MW energy park in the Zanzibar archipelago. The project will combine solar power and waste-to-energy conversion, with an installed capacity of 50 MW on Unguja, the largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago. On the mainland, Astra also plans to build a 350 MW natural gas combined-cycle power plant. Both Tanzanian projects will supply electricity to the utility.
Jean Marie Takouleu
