en.Wedoany.com Reported - Africa Greenco Group and independent power producer SafiriPower have signed a joint development agreement to add a 50 MW solar park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The cooperation agreement was reached during the Africa Energy Forum held in Cape Town this year. The project was initiated and is being developed by SafiriPower, while Africa Greenco is responsible for the project's bankability, including securing a transmission agreement with the national grid operator SNEL (National Electricity Company of the DRC).

The plant is located in Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, at the heart of the DRC's copper-cobalt mining region. The project is not structured as a captive power plant; Africa Greenco will purchase the electricity and sell it to mining and industrial customers, aiming to provide long-term power purchase certainty for project financial close. The project is scheduled to commence commercial operations in the second quarter of 2028, helping to alleviate the country's power shortage.

This project will add dispatchable, predictable clean generation to a region with a high concentration of copper-cobalt processing loads, helping to stabilize power supply for mines and concentrators near Kolwezi by 2028. At a time when demand is rising steadily, driven by mining expansion and industrial growth, the park will expand the DRC's electricity supply and improve the balance between national generation and load. The project will also increase the share of commercially traded power available to private off-takers (mining and industrial), reducing reliance on intermittent sources and emergency diesel. For processing, pumping, and milling equipment sensitive to voltage dips and outages, the project will improve reliability, support higher operating hours, and potentially reduce production downtime. The agreement creates a structured power purchase and sale pathway, supporting multi-year power planning for mining operations and making it easier for operators to budget energy costs. Through the transmission arrangement with SNEL, new utility-scale solar resources will be connected to the national transmission system, enhancing grid-connected power options in Lualaba Province. By demonstrating bankable renewable energy supply to a high-demand industrial corridor, rather than limiting generation to local "behind-the-meter" supply, the project supports broader electrification goals. By adding 50 MW of new capacity during a critical demand growth window, the project helps the DRC narrow its power gap by 2028. By improving energy access and reducing perceived energy risk, the project may encourage additional investment in the DRC's mining sector, potentially unlocking new capacity and brownfield upgrades. Compared to off-grid alternatives for some users, the project can lower power procurement costs, which may improve project economics and sustain mining output through the late 2020s. The project will also stimulate local services and value chains around construction, operation, and maintenance (electrical engineering, civil works, logistics), indirectly supporting mining productivity and expansion plans.

The agreement provides a replicable model for future projects in mining regions—combining solar generation with grid transmission and long-term off-take structures, potentially accelerating the procurement of more renewable energy projects by 2028.