- REPP will provide $1 million in development loan to the Mpanda Hydropower project.
- The project will inject 10.2MW into the Burundi grid.
- French developer, Hydroneo, is building the project.
The Mpanda hydroelectric project in Burundi has received funding from the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP). The project, which French company Hydroneo East Africa is developing, was allocated a $1 million development loan by the UK government-funded renewable energy financing platform. The project will be a run-of-river plant harnessing the rapids of the Mpanda River to produce 10.2 MW of electricity.
Samuel Zekri, Hydroneo’s CEO, notes that the project will help Burundi realise its national development plan of developing and powering health and education facilities. “We are delighted to join forces with REPP and our local partners to meet the growing needs of Burundian families and businesses,” he added.
The Plant, when completed, will supply 10 per cent of the country’s total energy supply to the state-owned grid, the Burundian water and electricity board (Regideso). Burundi’s current capacity of 34 MW comes from hydroelectric power, 6MW thermal power, a 400kW grid-connected solar plant and hydropower imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).