Rwanda: First utility-scale solar park inaugurated

Rwanda inaugurated its first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at a ribbon-cutting event on 5 February. The 8.5MW park, developed by Netherlands-based, US-owned Gigawatt Global at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwamagana District, about 60km from Kigali, was commissioned in September 2014, increasing Rwanda’s generation capacity by around 6%. Electricity is being fed into the grid under a 25-year power purchase agreement signed in July 2013. The landmark $23.7m project, the first independent power project to commission in the country, was financed by a consortium of equity partners and debt providers. Dutch development bank FMO arranged the senior debt package.