Ministry of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed three concession agreements with a consortium led by Gridworks and including Eranove and AEE Power to develop, build and operate three large-scale, solar-hybrid, off-grid utilities. 

The consortium will form an SPV named Moyi Power, which will responsible for the initial deployment of 14MW PV panels; 40MWh battery storage, and 4MW diesel generation aiming to connect more than 23,000 households and commercial consumers across the three sites in the first 5 years. The development and financing process is expected to take at least 14 months and the construction works are expected to last another 18 months.

The initial investment for the three sites will be at least US$100 million, funded with a mixture of equity from the consortium, debt provided by development finance institutions (DFIs) and capital grants from donors and DFIs. 

The infrastructure will transform the lives and livelihoods of half a million people by providing power to three cities, Gemena, Bumba and Isiro in the north of the country. The three cities currently have no grid connection, and struggle to access reliable, affordable and clean power. The project is also expected to have a significant climate change impact as it cuts carbon emission through the displacement of diesel generation.