Mocuba Solar Power Station, is an operational 40

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

plant in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. The

public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Review, Public Adminis ...

project, sells the energy produced to the national electric utility,

Electricidade de Moçambique Electricidade de Moçambique, E.P. (EDM-E.P. or simply EDM) is a state-owned energy company of Mozambique, which deals with the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. EDM was incorporated in 1995 after the privatization of ...

(EDM), under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

Location

The power station sits on of land with the solar panels occupying . The development is located in the municipality of

Mocuba Mocuba is a city and seat of Mocuba District of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. It is located on the Licungo River. Demographics See also * Railways in Mozambique * Railway stations in Mozambique Railway stations in Mozambique include: ...

, in

Zambezia Province Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 cen ...

, in the central coastal region of Mozambique. This is approximately , north of the city of

Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when Va ...

, where the provincial headquarters are located. Mocuba is located about , by road, northeast of

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,0 ...

, the capital city of Mozambique. The geographical coordinates of Mocuba Solar Power Station are: 16°49'22.0"S, 37°02'05.0"E (Latitude:-16.822778; Longitude:37.034722).

Overview

The power station was developed by a consortium, the ''Mocuba Solar Energy Consortium'', comprising (a)

Scatec Solar Scatec ASA, formerly Scatec Solar ASA is a Norwegian company which specializes in renewable energy systems. The company was founded by Dr. Alf Bjørseth in 2007. The two major shareholders of the company arScatec Innovation ASand Equinor. In No ...

, a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

independent solar power producer (b) the Mozambican electricity utility company ''Electricidade de Moçambique'' and (c) KLP Norfund Investments, a subsidiary of

Norfund Norfund is a development finance institution established by the Norwegian Storting (parliament) in 1997 and owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fund receives its investment capital from the state budget. Its head office is loca ...

. The power station produces 40 megawatts of electricity, which EDM will purchase for 25 years from the date of commissioning, according to an agreement signed between the owners of the power station and the

Government of Mozambique Politics in Mozambique takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Mozambique is head of state and head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by ...

Ownership

Mocuba Solar Power Station is owned by the entity that developed it, Mocuba Solar Energy Consortium. The table below illustrates the shareholding within the consortium:

Timeline

Construction began in June 2018 and was completed in July 2019. Commercial commissioning was effected in August 2019.

Funding

The funds used to construct this power station, whose cost price is reported as US$76 million, were borrowed from (a) the

World Bank Group The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Gr ...

and (b) the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.

Other considerations

During the construction phase, this project created 1,209 jobs, with 1,052 of them being local. The solar power plant is expected to save the country approximately 79,000 tonnes of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...

emissions annually.

References

External links

Early Warning System: Project Description
As of 27 October 2016. {{Authority control Renewable energy power stations in Mozambique Solar power stations in Mozambique Zambezia Province Energy infrastructure completed in 2019 2019 establishments in Mozambique