WeLight raises €19 million to electrify Madagascar

WeLight, a French energy start-up, has recently raised €19 million in a funding round to electrify rural villages in Madagascar. The company aims to provide sustainable and affordable energy solutions to off-grid communities in Madagascar. The €19 million was secured from European investment institutions, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), Triodos Investment Management, and the Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI), for the implementation of its electrification initiative.

The electrification program, which is being implemented in conjunction with the Ministry of Electricity and the Agency for the Development of Rural Electrification (ADER), intends to increase energy access for rural consumers in Madagascar. The mini-grids will comprise a solar PV system, battery energy storage, an electricity distribution network, and individual consumer meters. They will power 45,000 rural households, businesses, schools, healthcare centers, and public spaces in 120 villages that are currently without access to electricity.

The project is expected to provide 250,000 people with access to clean and affordable electricity while increasing WeLight’s coverage in Madagascar from eight to seventeen regions and more than a hundred mini-grids.