By Will Norman
January 10, 2023
African power development company Ncondezi Energy has secured a land agreement for its 300MW solar PV project in Tete, Mozambique.
The solar assets will be paired with a battery energy storage system (BESS), although its potential sizing and capacity have not yet been discussed by the developer publicly.
The agreement was finalised with the country’s government, allowing for exclusive use of the land for solar PV operations. The 950 hectare area would be sufficient to support 500MW capacity, Ncondezi said.
“This is a critical permitting requirement for the project, reflecting both strong local support and the expedited process we are executing since announcing the positive feasibility study last October,” said Ncondezi CEO Hanno Pengilly.
“An update on our preferred transmission solution to connect to the Mozambican grid is expected in the next two months. The solar project is strategically positioned from a transmission perspective, having access to existing grid networks with available capacity and multiple evacuation paths in Mozambique and the wider southern African region.
Ncondezi Energy began a feasibility study on the project in July, appointing solar PV technical consultancy WSP Group Africa, as reported by Energy-Storage.news at the time.
Later in 2022, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) approved US$2.5 million grant funding for a floating solar PV project and up to 10 proposed battery storage sites in Mozambique, through the AfDB-administered Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).
To read the full version of this story, visit PV Tech.
Additional reporting for Energy-Storage.news by Andy Colthorpe.
