Renewable power producer GreenYellow, the subsidiary of French group Casino, has completed the extension of the Ambatolampy solar power plant in Madagascar. According to GreenYellow, the new extension unit has already started to supply electricity to the power grid of the national utility JIRAMA.
Commissioned in 2018, the Ambatolampy power plant is the first utility-scale solar power plant in Madagascar. The solar facility was initially set up as a 20 MWp plant by the joint venture between the IPP GreenYellow and the Malagasy company Axian Group, which owns the plant with the share of 51% and 49% respectively.
GreenYellow and Axian Group have provided around €17 million for the project extension. The two partners are supported by the GuarantCo, the guarantee arm of PIDG, French commercial bank Société Générale, and the African Guarantee Fund.
The extension work began in June 2021 to increase the capacity of the solar plant to 40MWp. The project partners have also installed a 5 MWh battery storage system to stabilize the power grid.
Hassanein Hiridjee, the CEO of Axian Group, said after the announcement of the solar plant’s extension that the plan is in line with the group’s objective to increase access to energy to the people by means of clean, reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy.
Otmane Hajji, GreenYellow Madagascar CEO, said as the leading producer of solar PV energy in the region, GreenYellow looks forward to deepening its collaboration with Axian Group for the development of future renewable energy projects in Madagascar.
The expansion of the Ambatolampy solar plant has increased GreenYellow’s installed capacity in Madagascar. In February, the IPP commissioned a 1.4 MWp solar power plant in Morondava, in partnership with the Axian Group. The facility supplies clean electricity to the households and businesses in the Menabe region.
