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The Uganda government in partnership with Access Power, a Dubai-based renewable energy company, inaugurated today a 10-megawatt solar power plant designed to improve electricity access to people in Soroti, located in the eastern region of the country.

The new solar facility, which consists of 32,680 photovoltaic cells, is the country’s first grid-connected solar plant and will generate clean, low-carbon, sustainable electricity to 40,000 homes, schools and businesses in the area. The plant costs $19 million.

The project was developed under the Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff (GET FiT), which is a dedicated support scheme for renewable energy projects managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank in partnership with Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Agency (ERA). The GET FiT programme is funded by the Governments of Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

“The Access Solar Uganda 10MW grid connected solar P.V project we are launching today is so far the largest in the East African region,” said Ziria Tibalwa, the ERA CEO. “We are so proud of this outcome of our stable and favourable regulatory environment that has produced such a leading project in the East African Region. We congratulate Access Solar and the people of Uganda upon this milestone.”

The Soroti Solar Plant is partly funded by the EU–Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund in form of result-based premium payments per kWh of delivered electricity. The project is financed by a mix of debt and equity with the senior debt facility being provided by FMO, the Dutch development bank, and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF).

Located on a 33-acre plot of land in Soroti District, the power plant has the potential to increase its net output capacity by a further 20MW of solar energy. At peak construction, the plant employs over 120 local workers, including engineers recruited and trained by Access Power and Paris-based EREN Renewable Energy.

 “We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work with our European and Ugandan partners to bring to reality this flagship solar power plant,” said Reda El Chaar, Executive Chairman, Access Power. Soroti raises the bar on what can be achieved through teamwork and we look forward to more collaborative efforts to expand the footprint of clean energy across this mighty continent.”

Uganda currently has roughly 800MW of installed electric capacity, mostly from hydro and thermal sources, and has an 18.2 percent electrification rate, according to the World Bank.