GLAE Celebrates 7th Anniversary in style with Uganda’s Kabulasoke Solar Power Park Development

GLAE celebrates its 7th anniversary with yet another feather on its projects development cap following the completion of a US$25million solar power generating plant in Kabulasoke, Uganda.

Energy

GLAE Celebrates 7th Anniversary in style with Uganda’s Kabulasoke Solar Power Park Development

8th January 2018

Great Lakes Africa Energy (GLAE) a United Kingdom registered, sub-Sahara focused energy solutions provider, is set to celebrate its seventh anniversary today, with yet another feather on its projects development cap following the development completion of a US$ 25million solar power generating plant in Uganda.

Acting as the lead financial and technical investor, GLAE is part of a development consortium comprising of Uganda’s Xsabo Power Limited which has been working to deliver the 24MW Kabulasoke Solar Power Park in conjunction with the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited.

In Uganda, over the festive season, the project development teams burnt the midnight oil to complete critical commissioning tests on Christmas day, managing to achieve the project Commercial Operations Start Date (COD), ahead of the New Year.

The successful completion of the pilot commissioning tests now paves the way for the Kabulasoke Solar Power Park official commissioning on the Ugandan power grid for onward distribution to power consumers in coming days.

According to GLAE Director, Michael Kearns, the Commercial Operations Start Date (COD) for the project, was achieved on Sunday, December 30th 2018 and duly confirmed by (UETCL), as per terms of a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Government of the Republic of Uganda.

Kearns said:

With the achievement of a COD milestone, we are now ready to undertake the ceremonial commissioning of the largest solar power park in East and Central Africa at the earliest opportunity,

 

The grid switching of the Kabulasoke project marks yet another milestone for GLAE alongside our other projects in Ndola Zambia and Rovuma in Mozambique, where we are providing energy solutions to power national development ideals,

Once officially commissioned, the Kabulasoke project, which is already connected to the national grid, Kearns said, will serve a population of more than 5million in rural Uganda, who currently rely on kerosene; among other non-renewable energy sources while affording more than 21,000 tons of carbon savings.

Kearns said:

At Great Lakes Africa Energy we are proud to be associated with the Government of Uganda, Xsabo Power Limited and the consortium partners for making this project possible.

 

We are passionate about our mission to power the Great Lakes and Southern Africa region including Uganda, by developing and managing state-of-the-art power projects generated from the most efficient local sources of energy.

he Kabulasoke solar power park, features Tier 1 poly crystalline solar modules with an efficiency of 17.6 percent which is now highest in the Industry ensuring a high energy yield. The engineering design for the project, also integrates a state of the art invertor plus power transformer solution to minimize energy losses. The GLAE Power plant design ensures less than 0.5 percent energy losses for the plant.

The on-schedule completion of the 24MW Kabulasoke Solar Power Park, comes hot on the heels of the firm’s recent partnership with the Government of Mozambique. The partnership is to develop a natural gas fired electric power generating plant at an estimated value of US $400 million.

As part of the agreement signed last May, GLAE which also operates a 105MW power plant in Zambia’s copper belt town of Ndola, under Ndola Energy Company Limited (NECL), is set to develop, finance, own and operate the plant to be fed with natural gas supplies from Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin.

GLAE is in the process of securing additional Power Purchase Agreements in Africa and beyond and is currently screening opportunities in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo among other countries.

Kabulasoke Solar Power Park project highlights:

a. First of a kind and size solar plant in East Africa
b. The Kabulasoke Solar Power Park is set on more than 130 acres of land
c. Features an integrated 2.2MW power house
d. Generated Solar energy connected to the Ugandan grid via a 132kv line
e. Features state of the art technology on both DC and AC power sides with Ten 2.2MW inverters
f. More than 68,000 poly crystalline solar modules installed.
g. Carbon Emission reduced significantly with 18 trees per MW annually saved.

About Great Lakes Africa Energy

Great Lakes Africa Energy Limited is a UK registered company that is investing in energy solutions in the Great Lakes and Southern Africa regions. GLAE’s vision is to be the total energy solutions provider of choice for the Great Lakes and Southern Africa and remain a leader in innovation and sustainability. Our corporate mission is firmly focused on powering the Great Lakes and Southern Africa region by developing and managing state-of-the-art power projects generated from the most efficient local sources of energy.

Great Lakes Africa Energy (UK) owns and operates a 105MW power plant in in the Zambia’s copper belt town of Ndola, under Ndola Energy Company Limited (NECL). The company has a power purchase agreement with the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO). This power is fed directly into the Zambian national grid. www.glaenergy.com