Cuamba Solar Power Station

Cuamba Solar Power Station (CSPS), is a 20 megawatts (27,000 hp) solar power plant in Mozambique. The power station was developed by a consortium that comprises a British independent power producer and a Mauritian investor. A storage system consisting of lithium batteries with a capacity of 1.86 MVA/7.42 MW/h, is incorporated in the design. The storage system regulates the rate of delivery of the power into the national grid and thereby stabilize the network. TSK Group, a Spanish engineering and construction conglomerate was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract in May 2021.[1][2]

Cuamba Solar Power Station
CountryMozambique
LocationCuamba, Niassa Province
Coordinates14°48′01″S 36°30′22″E
StatusUnder construction
Construction began2021
Commission dateSeptember 2023
Owner(s)Cuamba Solar Company
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Power generation
Nameplate capacity20 megawatts (27,000 hp)

Location

CSPS is located approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi), outside of the town of Cuamba, in Niassa Province, in the north of Mozambique.[2] Cuamba is located approximately 347 kilometres (216 mi), by road, southeast of the city of Lichinga, the provincial capital.[3] This is about 541 kilometres (336 mi), by road, west of the port city of Nacala, the nearest sea-port.[4] The geographical location of Cuamba Solar Power Station are: 14°48'01.0"S, 36°30'22.0"E (Latitude:-14.800278; Longitude:36.506111).[5]

Overview

The power station has a capacity of 20 megawatts, to be sold directly to the Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), the state-owned electricity utility company, under a 25 year power purchase agreement. The EPC contract includes the construction of a transmission line measuring 400 metres (1,312 ft), connecting this power station and its storage facility to an existing 33/110 kV substation, where the generated energy will enter the Mozambican national electricity grid. It is anticipated that the solar farm will enable the country forego the emissions of 630,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the next 25 years, effective the date of commercial commissioning.[1][2]

Developers

The power station was developed by a special purpose vehicle company, which we will describe as Cuamba Solar Company (CSC). CSC owns the power station. For the first five years of the life of the power station, TSK Group of Spain, the EPC contractor will operate and maintain the power station, before handing over to the owners. The table below illustrates the shareholding in the special purpose vehicle entity.[1][2]


Shareholding in Cuamba Solar Company
RankShareholderDomicileDescriptionNotes
1GlobeleqUnited KingdomIndependent Power Producer[1][2]
2Source CapitalMauritiusInvestment Fund

Construction cost, funding and time table

The cost of construction is reported as US$36 million. Loan support was provided by Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) ($19 million) and Viability Gap Funding (VGF) ($7 million). EAIF and VGF are both subsidiaries of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). The power station was commercially commissioned in September 2023.[6]

See also

References
  1. Uche Ronald Okoro (27 May 2021). "Globeleq Contracts TSK to Construct 20MWp Cuamba Solar Power Plant". The Electricity Hub. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. Jean Marie Takouleu (26 May 2021). "Mozambique: TSK wins construction of Cuamba solar power plant with storage". Arik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  3. Google (28 May 2021). "Road Distance Between Lichinga, Mozambique And Cuamba, Mozambique" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  4. Google (28 May 2021). "Road Distance Between Nacala And Cuamba" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  5. Google (20 September 2023). "Location of Cuamba Solar Power Station, Cuamba, Niassa Province, Mozambique" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  6. Jean Marie Takouleu (19 September 2023). "Mozambique: Cuamba solar power plant goes into service with storage facilities". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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