Remote communities in Uganda are set to benefit from a US $16m solar mini grid project within the next 12 months. The project which will be implemented by Winch Energy Limited will provide the communities with affordable, clean energy and access to essential services.
The solar mini grid project will have the capacity to connect more than 6,500 customers, both Uganda and Sierra Leone. The sites, located in the Lamwo district of Uganda and in Tonkolili, Koinadugu and Bombali districts of Sierra Leone will supply clean energy to over 60,000 people for the first time.
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Electricity for people outside the mini grid catchment area
A further 6,000 portable batteries will also be installed through the project to provide people outside the mini grid catchment area with clean electricity. In addition to energy access, the project will also provide internet to the communities through partnerships with telecom operators in both countries. The developments will open up a pipeline of additional projects in both countries, further securing Winch Energy’s position in the off-grid market.
Together, the Winch Energy and NEoT investment vehicle, Winch IPP Holdings Limited, expects to expand operations into more countries, with ambitions to reach some US $100m of operating projects in the next 24 months. Main contractors to the transaction are Winch Energy Italy SRL and Sagemcom. Legal advisers to the transaction were Fieldfisher and Clarkson, Wright and Jakes, acting on behalf of Winch Energy and WIPP and August Debouzy representing NEoT.
Winch Energy already operates 13 sites in northern Sierra Leone, which were completed as part of an earlier phase of this project. Winch also powers communities in Benin, Mauritania and Angola, with a project to supply power to 20,000 residents in Bunjako on Uganda’s Lake Victoria expected to be fully operational by March 2021. The latest projects will support the company to deliver sustainable, reliable energy to all.
