Salima solar to add 60mw to national grid

The 60 megawatts (mw) Salima Solar Plant is slated to start feeding into the national power grid early September, JCM Power has said.

The plant would be among first solar photovoltaics (PV) or solar farms in the country to feed into the grid.

According to JCM Power, a firm developing the plant in partnership with InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), the Salima Solar project is expected to deliver clean power to the country’s national grid.

The project began in 2018 and is touted as the country’s first Independent Power Producer (IPP) scheme.

Responding to an emailed questionnaire, JCM spokesperson Jonas Sani said the company aims to contribute towards the development of the country’s energy sector.

“JCM Power, in conjunction with its partners (Infraco/ FMO), is proud to be a leading Independent Power Producer in Malawi’s energy sector, with the addition of a combined capacity of 80mw between Salima Solar (60mw) and Golomoti Solar (20mw), JCM will significantly contribute to the diversification of Malawi’s energy mix,” Sani said.

He added that the government of Malawi and its relevant stakeholders are fully engaged in addressing the country’s power needs and that, through its ambitious initiatives and collaboration with reliable IPPs, they are confident the country will make great strides in improving the much needed power generation, transmission and distribution.

The solar plant will commence commissioning and testing in August with a viewpoint for Commercial Operation Date (COD) to occur late August or early September.

According to the Power Purchasing Agreement, the agreed tariff of the power to be sold by the company is $0.084 per kWh.

The plant is among projects President Lazarus Chakwera touted early this year among ventures that the government is working towards adding not less than 1,000 mw of electricity to the national grid within the next five years.