Soroti Solar Power Station
The Soroti Power Station is a 10 MW (13,000 hp) solar power plant in Uganda.[1][3][5] It is the largest grid-connected, "privately-funded solar power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, outside of South Africa".[6]
Soroti Solar Power Station | |
---|---|
Country | Uganda |
Location | Soroti, Soroti District[1] |
Coordinates | 01°40′02″N 33°43′10″E |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | December 2015[2][3] |
Commission date | 12 December 2016[4] |
Owner(s) | Access Power MEA (Access Uganda Solar) & TSK Electrónica y Electricidad |
Solar farm | |
Type | Flat-panel PV |
Power generation | |
Nameplate capacity | 10 MW (13,000 hp) |
Location
The power station is located in Soroti District east of the town of Soroti in the Eastern Region of Uganda, approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi) by road north-east of Kampala, the country's capital and largest city.[1][7]
Overview
The power station has a 10 megawatt capacity. Its output is sold directly to the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited for integration into the national grid. The power is evacuated via a substation near the station. It has been estimated that the energy generated could power approximately 40,000 homes located near the station, thereby minimizing transmission losses.[8] The power station, which consists of 32,680 photovoltaic panels, is Uganda's first grid-connected solar plant.[9] The power station sits on 33 acres (13 ha) of land.[10]
Developers
The power station was developed by a consortium of Access Power MEA (through its subsidiary Access Uganda Solar), a company based in the United Arab Emirates,[11][12][13] and TSK Electrónica y Electricidad, a company based in Spain. They won the competitive bidding and were awarded the development contract at the same time as the developers of the Tororo Solar Power Station.[14]
Construction costs, funding, and commissioning
The construction costs were US$19 million.[9] The project received partial funding from the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund through KfW.[15] On 12 December 2016, the solar plant was switched on.[4][16]
References
- Muhumuza, Rodney (9 August 2016). "In Uganda, solar power plant amid African bush inspires hope". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- NAPE (June 2016). "Sh60b Soroti solar project nears completion". Kampala: National Organisation of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE). Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- Graves, LeAnne (17 February 2016). "Dubai's Access Power to build 10MW solar plant in Uganda". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- Biryabarema, Elias (12 December 2016). "Uganda starts up first solar power plant in bid to tap renewables". Reuters.com. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ERA (29 January 2016). "Access Uganda Solar Limited achieves Financial Close". Kampala: Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- REF News (19 February 2016). "Construction to begin on East Africa's largest solar project". Renewable Energy Focus (REF). Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- Globefeed.com) (24 January 2016). "Distance between Kampala, Central Region, Uganda and Soroti, Eastern Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- Martin, Miguel (15 December 2014). "Two Teams Selected for Ugandan Solar Power Plants". IPPJournal.Com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ESI-Africa (13 December 2016). "Uganda: Soroti solar power plant comes online". ESI-Africa.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- Asiimwe, Dicta (13 December 2016). "Uganda's first 10MW solar plant comes online". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- Smith, Matt (9 June 2015). "Access Infra to launch In Uganda, grow across Africa". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- Sambo, John (18 January 2015). "$500m set for African renewable power". East African Business Week. Kampala. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- "ACCESS POWER TO DEVELOP SOLAR ENERGY PLANT IN UGANDA", Access Power MEA, 27 November 2015, accessed 3 October 2016
- Biryabarema, Elias (10 December 2014). "Four firms to build 20 MW solar power plants in Uganda". Reuters.com. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- Marks, Jon (15 December 2014). "ERA and GET FiT announce the first 20 MW of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed In Uganda". Africa Investment Exchange. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- Otage, Stephen (12 December 2016). "Soroti Solar Plant a big success, donors say". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 14 December 2016.