AfDB provides Mozambique $2.5m for renewable energy development

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has authorized a grant of $2.5 million to the Mozambican government to develop renewable energy sources. The grant is from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), administered by the bank, and will be used to implement the Mozambique Renewable Energy Integration Programme (MREP). ‌‌Specifically, the funding would help Mozambique's state-owned power company Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM), undertake a full feasibility study on the construction of a floating solar power plant on the Chicamba reservoir.

According to Dr Daniel Schroth, Director of the African Development Bank's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department, "Mozambique's capacity to incorporate increasing shares of variable renewables will strengthen its ambitions to become a key regional electricity supplier." Additionally, the project will contribute to the development of an infrastructure for power generation that is more resilient and sustainable.

The grant would enable the national energy company to fund technical, economic, environmental, and social feasibility studies for the construction of a floating solar power plant in the Chicamba reservoir. It will also provide financing for a feasibility study for energy battery storage systems in up to ten sites, as well as capacity building for EDM's staff and help with tender preparation. It also contains a thorough capacity-building program that will enable people to gain strategic skills linked to developing and administering renewable energy projects.