Guinea and RELP agree 400 MW renewable energy and battery storage programme

• Guinea’s Ministry of Energy and RELP have signed an agreement to structure a competitive procurement programme for solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
• The first indicative phase will target 400 MW of solar generation and battery storage capacity.
• RELP will provide technical, legal, regulatory and financial support, including assistance with tender preparation, project finance and battery storage sizing.

Guinea’s Ministry of Energy and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (RELP) have signed an agreement to develop a competitive procurement programme for solar photovoltaic generation and battery energy storage systems, with an initial indicative capacity of 400 MW.

The agreement was signed in Conakry by Guinea’s Minister of Energy, Laye Sékou Camara, and RELP CEO Sebastian Kind, in the presence of RELP Africa Engagement Manager Aminata Bocar Ba.

Under the agreement, RELP will provide technical, legal, regulatory and financial advisory support to the ministry. The organisation will work with Guinea’s National Directorate for Renewable Energy (DNER), which will serve as the technical counterpart for the programme.

The initiative forms part of Guinea’s wider energy and economic development strategy, including the Simandou 2040 programme, the Mission 300 national energy compact and the Letter of Energy Sector Development Policy.

“Diversifying our energy mix and securing a reliable, affordable electricity supply is central to Guinea’s development ambitions,” said Minister Camara. “This agreement is part of the path we have chosen to get there, in line with our Mission 300 Energy Compact commitments and the goals set out in Simandou 2040.”

RELP will support the DNER in updating Guinea’s 2021 CAPSIM solar integration study, drawing on technical, legal and financial specialists.

The partnership will also cover preparation of competitive procurement documentation, including expressions of interest, requests for proposals, power purchase agreements and guarantee agreements.

Capacity building will be provided to the DNER, Électricité de Guinée, the Guinean Rural Electrification Agency and the national energy regulator. Training will cover auction design and implementation, energy planning, renewable energy integration, battery storage sizing and project finance.

RELP will also support the Ministry of Energy in developing financing measures designed to reduce project risks and improve access to finance. These will include risk mitigation and credit enhancement instruments, including RELP’s guarantee mechanism.

Digital tools will form another component of the programme, with RELP supporting the ministry in using its AREA digital tendering platform to manage and monitor competitive procurement processes.

“Clean, reliable, affordable electricity is the foundation of Guinea’s ambitions. But how it is procured matters just as much: transparent rules and a credible plan are what turn a single programme into a lasting market. That is the partnership we want to build,” said Ba.

The programme is expected to establish a framework for the competitive procurement of renewable generation and battery storage projects as Guinea seeks to diversify its electricity supply and increase the integration of renewable energy into its power system.

Author: Bryan Groenendaal