- InfraCo Africa partners with renewable energy provider Equatorial Power.
- The companies will invest $1.7 million to develop a portfolio of solar mini-grids in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
InfraCo Africa, an investment company of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and electricity provider Equatorial Power, forms a new alliance to electrify rural areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The two companies plan to invest $1.7 million to deploy a portfolio of solar mini-grids in Rwanda and the DRC.
Mini-grids with a capacity of between 60 and 85 kWp will be constructed in these two neighbouring nations. These facilities will have battery storage devices to control variations in solar radiation throughout the wet season. In the southeast of Rwanda, four mini-grids will be constructed. For the sake of rural residents, Equatorial Power also intends to construct four agricultural processing hubs (APH).
On the island of Idjwi in Lake Kivu, the DRC, four off-grid solar systems and four agricultural processing facilities will be constructed. The project in Rwanda will be carried out in the nation’s southeast. InfraCo Africa and Equatorial Power target 3,330 connections to low-income consumers in the DRC and 2,500 in Rwanda, providing more than 35,000 people with clean electricity by 2023. In addition, the project is expected to boost electricity access policy in both countries.