Solarcentury Africa and Sino Energy Sign a Joint Development Agreement for a Merchant Solar PV Plant

The Gerus solar PV plant will be one of the first in the region to be developed and run as a fully merchant plant selling its power directly to large customers within Namibia, as well as on the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

The SAPP has been operating in the Southern African region since 1995 and has opened access to IPPs and introduced competitive power markets to facilitate the trading of power across the region.

Solarcentury Africa is establishing a trading company to trade renewable electricity from this and other projects, which are being developed in Namibia and across SADC. This demonstrates Solarcentury Africa’s confidence in the emerging power markets within the region, and the importance of developing merchant plants to help meet the region’s growing need for clean, cost effective and reliable power.

The first phase of the Gerus project will consist of 19.3 MWp of solar PV in Outjo, in the Kunene Region of Namibia. The completion of the project is planned for Q4 2023. All licencing and environmental permits have been approved.

The second phase will consist of an additional 100 MWp of solar PV, which will be connected at transmission level at the same Gerus substation owned and operated by NamPower.

Head of Solarcentury Africa, Jason De Carteret said “The Gerus solar PV plant is the exciting first step in our ambitious programme of renewable energy expansion in the SADC region.  We are in a unique position since we have a long history of developing large scale renewable energy projects and our parent company, BB Energy, has over 50 years of trading experience.  We are confident that our joint strong experience in developing and trading at Solarcentury Africa and BB Energy, combined with the expertise of our local partners will accelerate project delivery and enable us to commercially trade at an unprecedented level in the region.”

“We are proud to be able to contribute to the reduction of the serious power deficit in the SADC region with our merchant approach; and we look forward to continuing our solar PV deployment growth in the region,” added De Carteret.

Sino Energy Director, Ferdinand Nghiyolwa said “We are excited to be a partner in this new initiative which we believe will be a game changer for this sector, as energy trading is the future.  Developing the Gerus solar PV plant as a merchant power plant is a long overdue initiative. We believe that our strategic partnership with Solarcentury Africa and BB Energy will benefit Namibia and the two companies.  We are confident that the combined experience of Solarcentury Africa and our local knowledge will allow us to achieve great things in Namibia and the wider region.”

ABOUT SOLARCENTURY AFRICA
Solarcentury Africa is one of the leading renewable energy developers in Africa with over ten years of experience operating on the continent. Headquartered in the UK, it is a market leader in the development of solar PV and energy storage projects using smart energy technology and controls in sub-Saharan Africa. Solarcentury Africa’s projects, partnerships and technologies generate clean power for investors, businesses and communities. Solarcentury Africa is part of the BB Energy Group.

ABOUT BB ENERGY
BB Energy was established in 1937 and today is one of the world’s leading independent energy trading companies, with a fast-growing renewable energy and emission reduction division. The company has 474 employees in 12 offices around the world, with key trading hubs in London, Dubai, Singapore and Houston.

ABOUT SINO ENERGY (PTY) LTD
Sino Energy is a solar PV developer established by owners that have been in the energy space since 2013. They have started with the planning and developing of renewable energy plants, specifically solar PV plants since 2015. Sino Energy’s principals developed and commissioned a 6.5 MW solar PV plant that has been operating since 2018. Sino Energy is a 100% Namibian owned infrastructure company specialised in renewable energy and infrastructure development. It has the expertise to plan, develop, design, construct and operate renewable projects in Namibia. Sino Energy aims to be the ideal partner for commercial parties, utilities, distributors, project developers and other IPP’s and industrial clients when developing renewable energy projects.

ENQUIRIES
Solarcentury Africa:
Jason de Carteret
E: jason.decarteret@solarcenturyafrica.com

Karim Bassatne / Lara Koujou
E: corporatecommunications@bbenergy.com

Sino Energy:
Ferdinand Nghiyolwa
E: ferdi@ino-invest.com

Nathan Goliath
E: nathan@ino-invest.com

Media Contacts

Karim Bassatne
Head of Corporate Communications
T: +971 4 432 8300
E: corporatecommunications@bbenergy.com