Gridworks, the UK government-backed investor in Africa’s electricity networks, announced late December it will invest up to US$50 million in Virunga Power which develops, invests and operates hydro-backed distributed renewable power generation projects and grid distribution networks in East and Southern Africa, including in Burundi, Malawi, Zambia and Kenya.
According to Brian Kelly, CEO of Virunga Power: “We’re thrilled to be able to announce this transformational investment from Gridworks. An investment of this magnitude validates the approach we take to bringing clean and affordable power at scale to rural areas. Our pipeline and portfolio of utility projects continues to grow, and we will use the capital and expertise from Gridworks to expand electricity access and drive economic and industrial growth in communities across the region.”
Virunga Power works with local developers and rural communities to drive sustainable economic growth and electrification for those not effectively served by national utilities. The company uses run-of-river hydropower technology and focuses on projects of up to 20 MW as well as associated transmission and distribution networks to provide affordable access to energy in rural areas, and to reinforce national grid stability.
Rural electrification is a key part of Gridworks’ mandate and an area that is gaining greater attention from governments, funders, and policy makers as the push to achieve connection targets under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals intensifies. According to the World Bank, Zambia, Malawi and, in particular, Burundi have some of the world’s lowest rural electrification rates (15%, 6% and 2%, respectively).
The impact of this investment will be measured in a number of ways, including new GW hours generated, new connections made, and CO2 emissions avoided.
Virunga Power works with its newly connected communities to generate new income by using electricity to stimulate industrial and commercial activity. The company works with local financing and community development partners to help foster ecosystems that can drive productive uses of energy at the household, village, and industrial levels. For example, this includes helping customers buy machinery that can improve farming yields and boost income.
Welcoming the announcement, Gridworks’ CEO, Simon Hodson, said:“I’m delighted to announce our investment in Virunga Power. Access to reliable, clean, affordable energy is a catalyst to a better life, but this is currently out of reach for people in the rural areas that Virunga Power wants to serve. We’re committed to making Virunga Power our platform to build hydro-powered rural utilities in at least four countries in Southern and Eastern Africa. Our capital will help them to close the energy access gap and unlock opportunities for people across the region.”
Virunga Power’s current institutional backers include EDFI ElectriFI, the EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative, and the Camco-managed Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP,) who are leading investors in early-stage energy access and renewable energy companies in Africa. Together they provided Virunga Power with critical growth capital during its ‘Series A’ investment round which closed in 2019.
Jean-Denis Collin, ElectriFI Manager at EDFI Management Company, said:
“Over the past four years, EDFI ElectriFI, sponsored by the European Union, together with Power Africa, and the governments of Sweden and Italy, were instrumental in validating the model and further secure a pipeline of run-of-the-river hydro projects in East Africa. Gridworks’ investment is timely and catalytic; it brings additional expertise and capital to further convert the pipeline and build a strong hydro-powered rural utility platform in Southern and Eastern Africa. Congratulations to all involved.”
