Africa Greenco and SafiriPower Launch 50-MW Solar Deal

Jul 3, 2026 09:57 AM ET

• Africa Greenco and SafiriPower sign to develop a 50MW solar park in Kolwezi, DR Congo—targeting 2028 commissioning and reliable clean power for mining and industry.

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, under a project developed during this year’s Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town. The photovoltaic project, originated by SafiriPower, will be led by SafiriPower for development, while Africa Greenco will handle bankability, including securing a wheeling agreement with national grid operator SNEL.

The plant will be located in Kolwezi in Lualaba Province, at the heart of DR Congo’s copper and cobalt mining region. The scheme will not be a captive power plant; Africa Greenco will purchase electricity and sell it to mining and industrial customers, aiming to provide long-term offtake certainty for financial close. Commissioning is targeted for the second quarter of 2028, to help ease the country’s power deficit.

How will the 50MW Kolwezi solar deal boost DRC power and mining demand by 2028?

• Adds dispatchable, predictable clean generation to a region with dense copper/cobalt processing loads, helping stabilize power availability for mines and concentrators near Kolwezi by 2028.
  
• Expands DR Congo’s supply in a period when demand from mining expansion and industrial growth continues to rise, improving the balance between national generation and load.
  
• Increases the share of commercially traded electricity available to private offtakers (mining and industry), reducing reliance on intermittent supply sources and emergency diesel use.
  
• Improves reliability for beneficiation, pumping, and processing equipment that are sensitive to voltage dips and outages, supporting higher uptime and potentially reducing production downtime.
  
• Creates a structured electricity purchase/sale pathway that can support multi-year power planning for mining operations, making it easier for operators to budget energy costs.
  
• Strengthens grid-connected power options for Lualaba Province by linking a new utility-scale solar resource to the national transmission system through wheeling arrangements with SNEL.
  
• Supports broader electrification goals by demonstrating bankable renewable power delivery into a high-demand industrial corridor rather than limiting generation to local “behind-the-meter” supply.
  
• Helps DR Congo narrow its power deficit ahead of 2028 by adding 50 MW of new capacity, contributing incremental capacity during a critical demand-growth window.
  
• Encourages additional investment in DR Congo’s mining sector by improving energy access and reducing perceived energy risk, which can unlock new capacity additions and brownfield upgrades.
  
• Can lower the cost of electricity procurement compared with off-grid alternatives for some users, which may improve project economics and sustain mining output through the late-2020s.
  
• Stimulates local services and value chains around construction, operations, and maintenance (electrical works, civil engineering, logistics), indirectly supporting mining productivity and expansion plans.
• Provides a replicable model for future projects in mining regions—solar generation coupled with grid wheeling and long-term offtake structures—potentially accelerating additional renewable procurement by 2028.