UAE firm to install Dh734-million clean energy plant in DR Congo – News

The UAE-based company SkyPower Global has bagged a contract from the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to install a 200-megawatt clean energy plant in DR Congo.

Spanned over four phases, the first phase of the DRC Green Giant project will cost $200 million (Dh734 million) and create 6,000 job years, Kerry Adler, president and CEO of SkyPower, told Khaleej Times in an interview.

He said this 200MW Phase 1 is a crucial step in realising the 1,000MW Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed with the Congo’s state-owned utility, Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL).

The project is expected to be fully operational in 18-24 months, Adler said, adding that the project will have a direct and indirect impact of $700 million to the African country’s GDP.

DR Congo president Félix Tshisekedi aims for a significant boost to the country’s clean energy output, contributing to a projected $2.3 billion stimulus to the African nation’s GDP and the creation of approximately 30,000 job years.

“Partnering with SkyPower, an institution known for their decades of global expertise in large-scale solar projects, is well aligned with our mission to advance energy access on the continent through renewable energy, » said Amadou Wadda, senior director of project development and technical solutions at AFC.

« Through this collaboration, we aim to contribute significantly to rapid industrialisation, local job creation, sustainable economic growth and a pragmatic transition to net zero in DRC and Africa as a whole,” he said.

Kerry Adler noted that the agreement underlines AFC’s pivotal contribution to promoting renewable energy solutions in the African continent.

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