December 22, 2021
Winch Energy has announced the project, which it hopes will be a significant bridgehead towards building $100 million worth of off-grid systems within two years, alongside Franco-Japanese partner Neot Offgrid Africa.The project will bring off-grid clean power to nations on both sides of the continent.
The company–which says it is owned by French renewables business Total Eren, Japanese conglomerate Itochu Corp, Saudi electrical manufacturer Al Gihaz Holding and U.K. financial services firm Winch Partners Ltd–said it will provide funding for the project alongside Neot Offgrid Africa and Nairobi and San Francisco-based impact investor Sunfunder, with the support of the U.K. and German governments and the EU. Neot Offgrid Africa was established by Paris-based investor Meridiam, French state-controlled energy company EDF and Japanese brand Mitsubishi.
The project will see the roll-out of Winch Energy’s Remote Power Unit mini-grid solution in the districts of Tonkolili, Koinadugu and Bombali, in the West African state of Sierra Leone, and in the Lamwo area of Uganda, on the eastern side of the continent.
Schedule
Winch said the projects would be operational within a year for more than 6,500 customers and would supply clean energy to more than 60,000 people for the first time, with an additional 6,000 portable batteries bringing sustainable energy to people outside the mini-grid catchment areas.
“The developments will open up a pipeline of additional projects in both countries, further securing Winch Energy’s position in the off-grid market,” the investor said in a press release issued yesterday to announce a project which, Winch added, was signed off in late January. The two project partners are aiming to have $100 million worth of operational projects within two years, said Winch.