Gigawatt Global will be launching a solar project in Burundi. The proposed project, a 7.5-MW solar field, will increase the country’s generation capacity by 15%. Bringing the solar project to fruition in Burundi are two grants totaling almost $1 million and comes from Power Africa via the USTDA and the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP), a coalition representing the British, Finnish, and Austrian governments. USTDA’s grant will fund a feasibility study that will address key technical and economic aspects of the solar project, conduct environmental and social impact assessments, and provide the necessary analysis for the project to secure financing. The grant funds awarded by EEP will be used for pre-development works and legal costs. Gigawatt Global plans to develop and manage the solar PV field, to be located in Burundi’s Gitega region. The facility will produce electricity needed for 60,000 households. The total cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $20 million. “Our impact investment model is to strengthen developing nations, both economically and environmentally, by providing renewable energy sources where they are most needed,” says Yosef Abramowitz, President of Gigawatt Globalr. “We plan to build 1,000 solar MW in Africa by 2020, thereby providing electricity to millions of households and institutions that are currently without the most basic of human needs.”
