Burundi Gets Grants for 7.5MW Solar Plant

Two international grantshave been provided for a 7.5MW solar project in the central African nation of Burundi, where only 4% of the population has residential access to electricity. The proposed project will increase the country's generation capacity by 15%. Burnundi saw its power capacity increase by 6% last year after its power grid was interconnected to East Africa's largest utility-scale solar field, an 8.5MW facility in Rwanda. 

Currently, Burundi experiences a high frequency of blackouts, with downtime in electrical access an average of two days a week. Burundi has a total of only 52MW of installed electrical capacity, including 15.5MW of diesel-generated power. 

The project also has wider economic benefits. “We believe that this pioneering solar project can be the bellwether for further western investment in Burundi," said Come Manirakiza, Burundi's minister of Energy and Mines.

Edited by ReneSola