Marriott Grosvenor Hotel, London, UK: The 60MWac Salima Solar project being delivered by JCM Power and PIDG company InfraCo Africa in Malawi, has been recognised as ‘Utility-scale solar project of the year,’ by the Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA). The 2021 AFSIA Awards Ceremony was held last night, in person and online, during the ongoing Africa Energy Forum.
The AFSIA Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate companies and individuals that have contributed outstandingly to promoting and advancing the use of solar across Africa in its full diversity. They recognise good practice, professionalism, quality, safety and innovation, with the aim of being a marker of the brightest and best that the African solar industry has to offer.
Salima Solar is the first commercial-scale solar photovoltaic plant in Malawi and is now delivering 60MWac of clean power to the country’s national grid.
Accepting the award on the night, InfraCo Africa’s Head of Business Development, Nabil Saimi, said: “I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of the Salima Solar Project. The project has been a true collaboration between ourselves at InfraCo Africa, the wider PIDG and our partners, JCM Power.
We have had strong support throughout from the Government of Malawi and the national utility, ESCOM, for our vision to deliver significant solar generation capacity to Malawi’s national grid.” Mr Saimi continued, “Salima Solar is Malawi’s first utility-scale solar IPP. We have taken learnings from this; continuing our partnership with JCM to commence construction on another – Golomoti Solar – which, thanks to support from Innovate UK, will pioneer the use of a battery energy storage system to further integrate renewables into Malawi’s national grid.” Mr Saimi concluded, “We are also extremely proud of the project’s work with local communities to support health outcomes and agricultural livelihoods and we look forward to continuing this work now that the plant is operational.”
Speaking from Malawi, Justin Woodward, JCM Power’s Co-founder and Chief Development Officer, said, “We are delighted that Salima Solar has been recognised by AFSIA, it is a truly ground-breaking project – Malawi’s first utility-scale solar IPP – which is now delivering 60MWac of clean power to Malawi’s energy customers.” He concluded: “We were honoured to receive His Excellency Lazerus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi on site yesterday to officially mark Salima Solar’s inauguration and this news really adds to the sense of a ‘job well done’ among the project team.”
Notes for editors:
• The Government of Malawi and the Malawian national utility, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited (ESCOM) – through the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Malawi Compact and with support from the World Bank – have worked to upgrade Malawi’s grid network and regulatory environment to attract Independent Power Producers to the country.
• The project signed a 20-year PPA with ESCOM in September 2018. Golomoti Solar, another project being co-developed by InfraCo Africa and JCM Power, also signed a PPA at this time.
• The 20MWac Golomoti Solar project will pioneer the use of a utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and is now under construction. Golomoti is expected to deliver additional clean power to Malawi’s national grid in 2022. The BESS is being delivered with support from Business Energy and Industrial Strategies International Climate Finance through Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst and RINA.
• The Salima Solar project ties in with Power Africa’s initiatives in the region which aim to connect more people to the national grid. By addressing the shortfall of energy supply, Salima Solar will serve to enhance the ability of these initiatives to meet demand from newly connected customers.
• Further detail about the Salima Solar project can be found here: http://www.infracoafrica.com/project/salima-solar
JCM Power: JCM is an independent power producer (IPP) dedicated to accelerating social, economic and environmental sustainability in growth markets through the development, construction and operation of renewable energy infrastructure. Our driving vision is to advance the clean energy age. For more information, please visit: www.jcmpower.ca
The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG): PIDG is an innovative infrastructure project developer and investor which mobilises private investment in sustainable and inclusive infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and south and south-east Asia. PIDG investments promote socio-economic development within a just transition to net zero emissions, combat poverty and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PIDG delivers its ambition in line with its values of opportunity, accountability, safety, integrity and impact. Since 2002, PIDG has supported 171 infrastructure projects to financial close which provided an estimated 217 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. PIDG is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Germany and the IFC www.pidg.org
InfraCo Africa: InfraCo Africa is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). InfraCo Africa seeks to alleviate poverty by mobilising private investment into high-quality infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa’s poorest countries. It addresses the risks and costs of early-stage project development: funding teams of experienced developers and providing risk capital to those projects which need the financial commitment and leverage that InfraCo Africa can bring. InfraCo Africa is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom (through DFID), the Netherlands (through DGIS) and Switzerland (through SECO). To find out more visit: www.infracoafrica.com
