Ncondezi Energy, a power development company in Africa, has secured exclusive land use rights for a site in Mozambique’s Tete province where it plans to build a 300 MW solar park. The facility will also be paired with battery energy storage systems.
Ncondezi has finalized the land agreement with the Mozambican government for the 950 hectares of land. The site called Direito do Uso e Aproveitamento da Terra (DUAT) is located within a thermal power plant. According to Ncondezi, the land area is sufficient to scale the solar project up to 500 MW capacity.
Hanno Pengilly, CEO of Ncondezi, said, the feasibility study was started last year July and the agreement reflected strong local support as well as the expedited process executed by the company. A preferred transmission solution to connect the future solar plant with the national grid will be announced within the next two months.
According to Pengilly, the location of the solar farm is strategically important from a transformative perspective. The project has close access to existing grid networks and multiple evacuation paths in the country as well as the wider southern African region.
The output of the solar farm will be sold to Mozambique and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The project is planned to deliver its first power to the national grid from up to 60 MW in early 2024.
Ncondezi has positioned itself as a major contributor to the Mozambican government’s goal of universal electrification by 2030. In southern Africa, grid connections and electricity access rates are of large concern. Countries like South Africa have taken several measures in the last few years to increase grid capacity and enable greater deployment of renewable energy.
