Aurion Capital Holdings signs MoU with the Gabonese Republic and the country’s national water and electricity utility, Société d’Énergie et d’Eau du Gabon. Credit: African Media Agency.
A United States-based investment holding company, Aurion Capital Holdings, is planning a 450-megawatt energy project in Gabon as part of a programme expected to attract more than $1bn in financing.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gabonese Republic and the country’s national water and electricity utility, Société d’Énergie et d’Eau du Gabon, on September 8, for the development of the Panthera Power programme in Greater Libreville.
The proposed programme will combine gas-fired power plants with the gas supply, transmission and distribution infrastructure required to support electricity generation and delivery.
According to the statement, the programme will cover between 150MW and 450MW of capacity and is designed to meet growing household electricity demand and support local industrial processing.
The company said the project would be developed and financed by Aurion Capital Holdings and its partners, without any financial commitment from the Gabonese government.
The memorandum was signed by the Gabonese Minister of Universal Access to Water and Energy, Philippe Tonangoye; the Managing Director of the utility, Steeve Legnongo; and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurion Capital Holdings, Ali Diallo.
Speaking on the project, Diallo said, “Gabon is the starting point of Aurion Capital’s ambitions in Africa. We are bringing here what we have built elsewhere: a proven track record in investment fund management and public-private partnerships in the United States, and a footprint in the Gulf and Asia that gives us access to private, sovereign and industrial capital.
“Energy is the foundation of the continent’s sustainable development: without reliable and competitive power generation, no industrialisation can take hold.”
The statement indicated that the programme aligned with Gabon’s National Energy Compact, published in June 2026 under the Mission 300 initiative, which targets 1,100MW of installed electricity generation capacity by 2030.
It added that the compact identified an investment requirement of $4.17bn between 2026 and 2030, with $2bn expected to come from the private sector.
Aurion Capital Holdings is sponsoring the programme and will lead its development and financial structuring, assemble the industrial and financial consortium, and conduct feasibility, technical, environmental and social impact studies.
It was learnt that the pre-feasibility study has been assigned to Global Infrastructure Advisors, an independent London-based firm specialising in infrastructure development and financing in emerging markets.
The Gabonese utility, SEEG, has been identified as the prospective buyer of the electricity to be generated and will serve as the technical partner on grid connections, power evacuation and operating conditions.
The statement added that a steering committee comprising SEEG and Aurion Capital Holdings will oversee the studies. Their findings will be submitted for joint approval by the government and SEEG before negotiations on definitive agreements begin.
The President for Africa at Aurion Capital, Souleymane Diallo, noted that the company was also assessing investment opportunities in energy, mining and infrastructure across several African countries.
“Gabon has the gas resources and the political will needed to transform its electricity supply. Aurion Capital is committed as sponsor of an integrated programme, from upstream gas through to distribution,” he said.
Aurion Capital Holdings is said to be a United States investment holding company involved in venture capital, public-private partnerships, innovation and strategic industries, including energy, critical minerals and infrastructure.
The company said it has more than $300m in assets under management across its funds and industrial projects valued at $2bn underway. It reportedly operates across four continents through its subsidiaries and regulated investment funds in the United States and Abu Dhabi Global Market.
“Aurion Capital is the parent company of NovaWave Capital, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm with $100m in assets under management, backed by LG Electronics and by government partners in West Virginia, Arizona and Nevada. Aurion Capital is also the shareholder and General Partner of BYL Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital fund with $70m in assets under management, “the statement concluded.