A tender is open in Rwanda for a 200 MW floating solar plant to be tied to 800 MWh of battery storage. The deadline to submit pre-qualification bids is November 12.
Rwanda’s Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL) has opened a tender for a 200 MW floating solar power plant alongside an 800 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The project is set to be built at Lake Sake, within the Ngoma district of Rwanda’s Eastern province.
Available tender details explain the project will be structured as an independent power producer scheme, with the chosen developer set to enter a long-term power purchase agreement with the state-owned Rwanda Energy Group (REG) through its subsidiary, the Energy Utility Corporation Limited (EUCL), which will act as the offtaker.
The selected bidder will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the floating PV system and BESS. Interested bidders are required to have at least 10 years experience in designing, constructing and managing renewable energy power plants.
The tender kicks off with a pre-qualification round, with interested independent power producers expected to meet a series of administrative, technical and financial requirements as set out in pre-qualification documents available on REG’s website.
A site visit for potential applicants is taking place on October 23. The deadline to submit initial bids, which must be sent electronically, is November 12.
Rwanda’s solar market is still in its relative infancy. The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has tracked 47.5 MW of operational solar across the country to date, according to figures available in the association’s project database.
There are relatively few operational floating PV plants across Africa despite research identifying significant potential in deploying solar on the continent’s inland bodies of water. A 2023 study found Africa could generate 100 GW of solar by installing on 1% of its 100,000 sqm of reservoirs.
The largest floating solar project under development in Africa is a 600 MW project on Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume, on Zimbabwe’s northern border with Zambia. Last December, government officials in Zimbabwe said work would begin on the site this year, beginning with an initial 150 MW phase.
The largest operational floating PV project in Africa to date is a 13 MW array in Morocco, which came online in July.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: [email protected].