UAE-based renewable energy developer AMEA Power has signed a long-term PPA with the national utility of Djibouti for a 25MW solar PV plus battery storage unit.
AMEA Power announced the signing of the power purchase agreement (PPA) with Electricité de Djibouti (EDD) today (29 August).
The signing ceremony, pictured above, was witnessed by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Djibouti, which is on the East Coast of Africa.
AMEA will develop the project in the Grand Bara desert region under a build-own-operate and transfer (BOOT) model. It hasn’t yet revealed the size in MW or MWh of the battery storage portion but said the project is expected to generate 55GWh of energy annually.
The announcement also said it would be the first solar independent power project (IPP) in the country, though didn’t give an expected commercial operation date (COD).
The Sovereign Fund of Djibouti (FSD) will be joining the project as a minority shareholder before it reaches financial close.
The announcement is the second sizeable energy storage project revealed in quick succession, after vertically integrated solar PV manufacturer Jinkosolar announced the delivery of a 1.1MWh battery storage system for an off-grid PV system.
Hussain Al Nowais, Chairman of AMEA Power, said: “AMEA Power is proud to reach this milestone and to be supporting Djibouti in its energy transition journey. East Africa is an important market for AMEA Power, as it is a region with immense potential for the development of clean, reliable, and affordable energy.”
The country is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions by around 40% by 2030.
AMEA Power is a developer operating across Africa, the Middle East and Asia but the vast majority of its projects in operation, construction or advanced development are in Africa. Its activity has mainly been in solar, which you can read more about on our sister site PV Tech here.
