Soroti Solar Power Station
Soroti Solar Power Station | |
---|---|
Country | Uganda |
Location | Soroti, Soroti District[1] |
Coordinates | 01°41′06″N 33°39′29″E / 1.68500°N 33.65806°E |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | December 2015[2][3] |
Commission date | 12 December 2016[4] |
Owner(s) | Total Eren |
Solar farm | |
Type | Flat-panel PV |
Power generation | |
Nameplate capacity | 10 MW (13,000 hp) |
The Soroti Power Station is a 10 MW (13,000 hp) solar power plant in Uganda.[1][3][5] It was the largest grid-connected, "privately-funded solar power plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, outside of South Africa" at its commissioning and until the Pilot Solar Power Plant (20MW) of The Xsabo Group in Kabulasoke (Kabulasoke Solar Power Station) in Central Uganda was completed and commissioned in January 2019.[6]
Location
[edit]The power station is located in Soroti District, southeast of the city of Soroti in the Eastern Region of Uganda, approximately 282 kilometres (175 mi) by road north-east of Kampala, the country's capital and largest city.[1][7]
The geographical coordinates of Soroti Solar Power Station are 1°41'06.0"N, 33°39'29.0"E (Latitude:1.685000; Longitude:33.658056).[8]
Overview
[edit]The power station has a 10 megawatt capacity. Its output is sold directly to the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited for integration into the national grid. The power is evacuated via a substation near the station. It has been estimated that the energy generated could power approximately 40,000 homes located near the station, thereby minimizing transmission losses.[9] The power station, which consists of 32,680 photovoltaic panels, is Uganda's first grid-connected solar plant.[10] The power station sits on 33 acres (13 ha) of land.[11]
Developers
[edit]The power station was developed by a consortium of Access Power Limited (through its subsidiary Access Uganda Solar), a company based in the United Arab Emirates,[12][13][14] and TSK Electrónica y Electricidad, a company based in Spain. They won the competitive bidding and were awarded the development contract at the same time as the developers of the Tororo Solar Power Station.[15]
As of February 2022, the power station has been sold to and is now owned by Total Eren, the renewable energy subsidiary of the French energy conglomerate, TotalEnergies.[16]
Construction costs, funding, and commissioning
[edit]The construction costs were US$19 million.[10] The project received partial funding from the European Union Infrastructure Trust Fund through KfW.[17] On 12 December 2016, the solar plant was switched on.[4][18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Muhumuza, Rodney (9 August 2016). "In Uganda, solar power plant amid African bush inspires hope". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ NAPE (June 2016). "Sh60b Soroti solar project nears completion". Kampala: National Organisation of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE). Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ a b Graves, LeAnne (17 February 2016). "Dubai's Access Power to build 10MW solar plant in Uganda". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ a b Biryabarema, Elias (12 December 2016). "Uganda starts up first solar power plant in bid to tap renewables". Reuters.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ ERA (29 January 2016). "Access Uganda Solar Limited achieves Financial Close". Kampala: Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA). Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ REF News (19 February 2016). "Construction to begin on East Africa's largest solar project". Renewable Energy Focus (REF). Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ Google (11 September 2021). "Road Distance Between Kampala, Uganda And Soroti Solar Power Plant, Opuyo, Soroti, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ Google (11 September 2021). "Location of Soroti Solar Power Station" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
- ^ Martin, Miguel (15 December 2014). "Two Teams Selected for Ugandan Solar Power Plants". IPPJournal.Com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ a b ESI-Africa (13 December 2016). "Uganda: Soroti solar power plant comes online". ESI-Africa.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ Asiimwe, Dicta (13 December 2016). "Uganda's first 10MW solar plant comes online". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ^ Smith, Matt (9 June 2015). "Access Infra to launch In Uganda, grow across Africa". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Sambo, John (18 January 2015). "$500m set for African renewable power". East African Business Week. Kampala. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ "ACCESS POWER TO DEVELOP SOLAR ENERGY PLANT IN UGANDA", Access Power MEA, 27 November 2015, accessed 3 October 2016
- ^ Elias Biryabarema (10 December 2014). "Four firms to build 20 MW solar power plants in Uganda". Reuters.com. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ Total Eren (13 February 2022). "About Soroti Solar Power Station". Total-Eren.com. Paris, France. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Marks, Jon (15 December 2014). "ERA and GET FiT announce the first 20 MW of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed In Uganda". Africa Investment Exchange. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ Otage, Stephen (12 December 2016). "Soroti Solar Plant a big success, donors say". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
External links
[edit]- 10MW solar power project launched in Soroti
- Uganda Secures Funding for Key Solar PV Projects
- Uganda To Increase Power Generation
- 20MW of solar energy to be added to national grid