African-based power development company, Ncondezi Energy, has announced the signing of a land agreement with the Government of Mozambique for a 300MW hybrid solar project. Comprising solar assets and a battery storage system, the project aligns with the government’s overall strategy of achieving universal access to electricity by 2030.
With the signing of the agreement, Ncondezi Energy has secured the exclusive rights regarding use of the allocated land for its hybrid solar project operations. According to the agreement, Ncondezi Energy has secured a 950-hectare area, which has the capacity to support up to 500MW of solar capacity.
“The signing of the agreement represents 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,” stated Hanno Pengilly, CEO of Ncondezi Energy.
Despite the country’s abundant renewable energy resources, only 44% of the Mozambican population has access to electricity, as of December 2022. As such, the project represents just one of various initiatives underway to improve the generation and transmission of clean energy in Mozambique.
“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,” Pengilly added.