SOUTH SUDAN: Asunim and I-kWh join the Juba solar project (20 MWp)

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In South Sudan, the 20 MWp solar project under development near the capital Juba has two new players. They are the photovoltaic system supplier Asunim Solar, based in the United Arab Emirates, and the renewable energy solutions consultancy company I-kWh. The two companies join Elsewedy Electric, which was awarded the solar project in December 2019. The Egyptian company was awarded the contract following a call for tenders launched by the South Sudanese Ministry of Electricity, Dams, Irrigation and Water Resources.

The future photovoltaic solar power plant will be built on a 25-hectare site. Asunim Solar will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services. The London-based subsidiary of the Asunim Group will also be responsible for product sizing and verification, as well as supervision of the project execution site.

The solar photovoltaic power plant will also be equipped with a battery storage system with a capacity of 35 MWh “which will make it possible to boost the areas affected by the solar project 24/7 and stabilise the national electricity grid”, says Andreas Schuenhoff, director of the Asunim Group. Currently, this East African country is 100% dependent on oil imports, which produces greenhouse gases and other atmospheric pollutants (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, etc.), which are harmful to the environment and the health of the population.

The I-kWh company, based in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), will contribute its expertise in electricity storage and management systems to the solar project.

At least 59,000 households supplied with electricity

“The approximately 29 million kWh of clean energy produced by the future solar power plant will meet the electricity needs of more than 59,000 households in Southern Sudan,” says Mohamed Shiha, technical director of the Egyptian energy services company Elsewedy Electric T&D (EETD). The installation would also avoid the emission of 10,886.2 tonnes of CO2 per year. The Juba solar project will last 12 months. Its implementation will require an investment of $45 million from the South Sudanese Ministry of Electricity, Dams, Irrigation and Water Resources. It will be supported by a loan from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a pan-African financial institution established under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Inès Magoum