East Africa’s ‘largest’ solar plant now in operation

What is claimed to be East Africa’s largest solar offering is now online in the form of the 10MW PV plant in Soroti, Uganda.

Located on just over 13 hectares of land and comprised of 32,680 modules, the facility is also the country’s first grid-connected plant and will provide enough clean energy to power 40,000 homes.

According to Access Uganda Solar Ltd, a partnership between Access Power and EREN Renewable Energy who own and operate the plant, it has potential to expand by a further 20MW.

The plant was developed under the Global Energy Transfer feed-in tariff (GET FiT); a renewable project scheme managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank in partnership with Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Agency (ERA). It was funded in part by the EU’s Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund via €8.7 million result-based premium payments, and also by the governments of Norway, Germany and the UK.

The US$19 million Soroti plant was inaugurated today by the Ugandan minister of state for energy D’Ujanga Simon, alongside Access Power and EREN Renewable Energy representatives.

“The Access Solar Uganda 10MW grid-connected solar P.V project we are launching today is so far the largest in the East African region,” said ERA CEO Ziria Tibalwa. "We are so proud of this outcome of our stable and favorable regulatory environment that has produced such a leading project in the East African Region. We congratulate Access Solar and the people of Uganda upon this milestone.”

While there are larger PV projects in the pipeline in the region, Access claims the plant in Soroti is the largest connected facility.

Tags: uganda, africa, solar pv, access power, east africa