U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced that is has awarded a grant to Zambia’s GreenCo Power Storage Limited (GreenCo) for a feasibility study to expand battery energy storage systems (“BESS”) throughout the country. The project will help facilitate the integration of renewable power into Zambia’s grid, while ensuring its stability and reliability. GreenCo selected Maryland-based K&M Advisors, LLC, to carry out the study.
“The scale of this project and its potential impact on renewable energy development in Zambia and across southern Africa is quite remarkable. USTDA’s partnership with GreenCo is a strong example of our focus on deploying innovative renewable energy solutions that are tailored to Africa’s requirements,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director. “U.S. companies offer many of the solutions required by this project, which will benefit communities across the region. USTDA is proud to be partnering with GreenCo on this endeavor.”
When implemented, GreenCo’s BESS project will be one of the largest such battery installations in all of Africa. This infrastructure will also place Zambia at the center of renewable energy trading across southern Africa and allow energy traders to buy renewable energy from anywhere in the region, store it in Zambia, and then sell it to any customer that is connected to the Southern Africa Power Pool.
The USTDA-funded study will inform GreenCo’s selection of battery storage technologies and system design by assessing the technical, economic, and financial viability of developing and implementing a utility-scale BESS pilot in the Sesheke District of Zambia, where it will be paired with a solar photovoltaic project. Utilizing the findings obtained from the pilot, the study will provide recommendations for an expanded 400 megawatt-hour BESS portfolio in the country. The study will also include economic and financial analysis for operating both the pilot and portfolio, as well as a commercial and market analysis tailored to GreenCo’s business model, among other tasks.
“We are excited to receive USTDA’s support in developing Zambia’s first utility scale BESS, which will help increase the solar PV and wind power capacities that can be safely connected to the national grid,” said GreenCo Group CEO Ana Hajduka. “The BESS and the solar PV pilot project will directly enable are expected to create 600 short-term and 20 long-term jobs. We look forward to working with the Zambia Energy Regulatory Board, ZESCO and the Government of Zambia in ensuring the project’s success.”
USTDA’s study supports the U.S. government’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, to deliver game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries; Prosper Africa, which fosters economic engagement between the United States and Africa; and Power Africa, which aims to increase energy access on the continent. USTDA’s study also supports the Agency’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure, an initiative that connects U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging economies.
