Malawi’s Golomoti solar PV plant is entering the commercial operation phase after a successful test phase. The 28.5 MWp solar plant is connected to a 5 MW/10 MWh battery storage system and is capable of providing 20 MW of energy to the Malawian power grid.
The solar project is located in the Central region’s Dedza district. It is jointly developed by the Canadian IPP JCM Power and InfraCo Africa, a part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). The project developers have signed a public-private partnership with the government and a power purchase agreement with the state-owned Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi.
Christian Wray, the Managing Director of JCM Power, said the project is a pioneering solar energy project that will result in the development of many similar projects in the future. JCM Power also managed the execution of the project work, along with its development and financing. Wray also praised the speed of the project execution despite several challenges faced by them due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The completion of the Golomoti solar project is successful due to the support of several development finance institutions, including the USAID, which funded the project development phase. The Innovate UK Energy Catalyst program provided funds for the installation of the battery energy storage system.
Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) also provided a loan to JCM Power for the project. The solar project is covered by a liquidity guarantee from the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), through its Regional Liquidity Support Facility (RLSF).
