Release by Scatec, a distributed-generation solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) solution, is set to expand its solar and storage capacity in Cameroon by 28.6 MW and 19.2 MWh across two solar plants.
Scatec signed two lease agreements with Cameroon’s national electricity company, ENEO. The deals will expand Scatec’s solar and battery storage capacity in the country to 64.4 MW of solar and 38.2 GWh of BESS across two sites.
The company completed the solar plants in Maroua and Guilder, in northern Cameroon, in September 2023. The projects currently have 35.8 MW of solar capacity and 19 MWh of storage.
Scatec secured funding for the projects from last year’s capital raise, when Climate Fund Managers acquired a 32% equity stake.
“In addition to improving electricity supply in Cameroon and significantly reducing the cost and CO2 emissions from alternative generation based on diesel supply, these pioneering leasing contracts with ENEO are serving as a model for access to affordable clean energy for other countries and large energy consumers in the region,” said Hans Olav Kvalvaag, Release CEO. Kvalvaag added the company is expected to close and start implementing several additional projects from its pipeline in the coming months.
Once the extensions are completed, ENEO estimates the two plants will supply energy to around 200,000 households, generating around 141.5 GWh of electricity annually. The BESS is expected to ensure stable supply during peak hours.
“This move will enable ENEO to further secure power generation in the Northern regions while also improving service quality for households and the industrial sector in these regions,” said Amine Homman Ludiye, CEO of ENEO Cameroon. “This new step towards more reliable and carbon-free energy is part of ENEO’s strategy, which is central to its continued efforts, under the auspices of the Government of Cameroon, to sustainably improve on the power available in Cameroon.”
Cameroon had 50 MW of deployed solar at the end of 2023, up from 14 MW at the end of the year prior, according to figures from International Renewable Energy Agency. The country announced a custom duty exemption on PV modules, inverters, charge controllers, batteries and cables intended for rooftop solar systems in April.
Earlier this year, Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog spoke to pv magazine about the company’s ongoing solar projects in South Africa, Botswana and Egypt.
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