Page 14 - AfrElec Week 23

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

EgyptERA approves photovoltaic power plants. They were recently WIND
commissioned by the Kenyan subsidiary
construction of 7.5MW solar of Renewvia Energy, a provider of off-grid Rift Valley Energy connects
solar systems based in the state of Georgia
PV plant in Suez in the United States of America. The three 2.4MW wind farm to
plants were installed in Ngurunit locality
The construction of a 7.5MWp solar (27.6 kWp), Kalobeyei locality (20 kWp) and Mwenga
photovoltaic power plant in the governorate Kalobeyei refugee camp (60 kWp).
of Suez has been approved by the Egyptian These facilities have battery electric storage The Rift Valley Energy Group has begun
Electricity Utilities Regulatory and Consumer systems of 120 kWh for the Kalobeyei refugee commissioning its Mwenga wind farm
Protection Agency (EgyptERA). camp, 60 kWh for Kalobeyei locality and in Tanzania. With a capacity of 2.4MW,
The approval request was submitted by 144 kWh for Ngurunit locality. The three the country’s first wind farm will generate
SolarizEgypt, a company that specialises solar systems feed small grids in these three electricity to feed into the local grid of Rift
in the financing, designing, installing, and communities. In Marsabit County, Renewvia Valley Energy Group.
commissioning of PV solar power plants Energy built a mini-grid in Ngurunit locality. A wind farm is now operational in
in the Middle East region, following an It serves 160 households as well as 25 local Tanzania. With a capacity of 2.4MW, the
agreement signed more than a year ago with businesses and social institutions. In the small facility is located in Mwenga, in the Mufindi
Arabian Cement Company, which supplies town of Kalobeyei in Turkana County, the district. The plant is owned by the privately
almost 6% of Egypt’s cement, to develop the mini-grid connects 100 households as well as owned Rift Valley Energy Group. The
plant. 29 local businesses and local institutions. company started commissioning its wind
SolarizEgypt, acting as an Independent Renewvia Energy has also built a mini- farm a few days ago after “mandatory pre-
Power Producer (IPP), will put up the grid for the Kalobeyei camp, hosting refugees commissioning tests at the Mwenga site.”
solar power plant which includes a fleeing political instability in South Sudan. At the moment, one of the three turbines
self-consumption system on an area of Divided into three villages and covering at the site is in operation. It “is expected to
approximately 96,000 m² and sell the 15 km2, the camp is run by the United operate initially at a low, pre-set production
electricity produced to the Arabian Cement Nations High Commissioner for Refugees rate, before being gradually brought up to
Company for a period of 25 years under (UNHCR) under the aegis of the Turkana full capacity over the next few weeks, in
BOOT (Build Own Operate Transfer) system. County Government. The new electricity accordance with commissioning procedures.
The construction of a solar PV plant in grid installed there provides electricity to 500 The other two turbines are expected to be
Suez will cost approximately US$ 6.3M, households, schools, businesses and churches. commissioned in the same manner over the
and the financing will be provided by QNB Renewvia Energy implemented the next two weeks,” says the Renewable Energy
ALAHLI, one of the leading financial electrification project in the three settlements Performance Platform (REPP), the project’s
institutions and second-largest private bank in collaboration with Energising Development main financial partner.
in Egypt through the European Bank for (EnDev), as part of an electricity access In addition to the UK government’s REPP
Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD), partnership funded by six European countries: funding platform, the project is also funded
a multilateral developmental investment bank the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, the by the Trade and Development Bank (TDB
under its Green Economy Transition (GET) United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden. Bank), a commercial bank owned by the
approach, whose objective is to increase EnDev supported the project through an member states of the Common Market for
the financing of projects that advance the output-based grant (RBF) provided by the Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The
transition to an environmentally sustainable, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale electricity generated by the new 2.4MW wind
low-carbon economy, and help prevent Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German farm will be used to power the network of the
economies from being locked into a carbon- international cooperation agency. Rift Valley Energy Group in the Iringa region.
intensive, polluting pathway that depletes
natural assets.

MINI- GRIDS
Renewvia opens 3 solar

mini-grids in Kenya

The Kenyan subsidiary of solar off-
grid provider Renewvia Energy has just
commissioned three solar mini grids for
three communities in Turkana and Marsabit
counties in Kenya. This electrification
project was implemented in partnership with
Energising Development (EnDev).
Located in northern Kenya, Turkana and
Marsabit counties now have three small solar

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 23 11•June•2020