- The government of Burundi has given its approval for the expansion of the 7.5 MWp Mubuga solar photovoltaic park, located near the capital Gitega.
- The plant, built under a public-private partnership (PPP), should see its capacity doubled in the coming months.
Burundi is betting on solar photovoltaic energy to increase its installed capacity. Evariste Ndayishimiye reaffirmed this recently during his visit to Mubuga. The President of the Republic of Burundi went to this village near the capital Gitega to visit the largest solar power plant in the country in the company of several foreign diplomats, including the ambassadors of the United States of America and the Netherlands.
During the visit, President Evariste Ndayishimiye gave his approval for the expansion of the Mubuga solar power plant. The park, which has a capacity of 7.5 MWp, has been in operation since May 2021. The plant was built under a public-private partnership (PPP) signed between the government of Burundi and Gigawatt Global. The renewable energy producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, awarded the construction (EPC) of the plant to the French company Voltalia. The renewable energy producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, awarded the construction (EPC) of the plant to the French company Voltalia.
According to Gigawatt Global, the Mubuga solar power plant, with a capacity of 7.5 MWp, provides up to 10% of Burundi’s electricity. Additionally, according to the Dutch independent power producer (IPP), the facility has the capacity to provide 87,600 Burundians. In Burundi, this is the IPP’s first initiative that has been a success thus far. Additionally, it is the largest international private investment in the country of East Africa’s energy sector in nearly 30 years.
Gigawatt Worldwide Under the provisions of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Régie de Production et Distribution d’Eau et d’Électricité (REGIDESO), Burundi, the local subsidiary of Gigawatt Global, feeds the plant’s output into Burundi’s national power system.
Several financial partners, such as the investment firm Inspired Evolution, the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), the US Corporation for International Development Finance (DFC), etc., sponsored Gigawatt Global throughout the initial phase of the Mubuga solar project.