- The Project will generate 50MW of clean and renewable energy on Unguja Island, the largest island in the Zanzibar Archipelago and the seat of Zanzibar’s semi-autonomous government.
- Astra conceived this unique Project to address two of Zanzibar’s most pressing issues: access to clean, reliable power and the growing problem of municipal solid waste disposal.
Astra Energy Inc. announces that it has received a commitment letter from the revolutionary government of Zanzibar to supply approximately 200 acres of land through a 33-year renewable lease for Astra’s proposed Zanzibar Clean and Renewable Energy Park Project (“Project”). The Project will generate 50MW of clean and renewable energy on Unguja Island, the largest island in the Zanzibar Archipelago and the seat of Zanzibar’s semi-autonomous government. It will comprise 42.5 megawatts of solar generation and Astra’s proprietary Regreen waste-to-energy technology. It will generate the remaining 7.5 megawatts while consuming and eliminating approximately 300 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily.
Astra intends to own and operate the Project as an independent power producer (IPP), selling the power to Zanzibar Electricity Corporation (ZECO), Zanzibar’s state-owned utility, via a long-term power purchase agreement. The Project will complement the Zanzibar Energy Sector Transformation Project (ZESTA), a $142M World Bank and Clean Technology Fund initiative whose objective is to “expand access to electricity service and to create an enabling environment for private-sector participation in the Zanzibar electricity sector.”
Astra’s Vice President of Electrical Power Generation, Tony Thompson, said, “Astra conceived this unique Project to address two of Zanzibar’s most pressing issues: access to clean, reliable power and the growing problem of municipal solid waste disposal.” The Project’s 300 tons per day of MSW consumption will reduce the stress on the Kibele landfill, the island’s only dedicated receptacle for waste. Astra and the government of Zanzibar previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on June 7, 2022, to develop the Project. Astra has been approved for U.S. government advocacy to help advance the Project.