• About
  • Become a Climate Reporter
  • Send Us Your Report
  • Submit A News
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
NEWSLETTER
Africa Climate Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • CLIMATE CHANGE
  • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  • FOOD
  • FOREST
  • ENERGY
  • WASH
  • LAND
  • OTHERS
    • FINANCE
    • HEALTH
    • OCEANS
    • TOP STORIES
    • MOST POPULAR
    • COLUMNISTS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • OPINIONS
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
Africa Climate Reports
  • HOME
  • CLIMATE CHANGE
  • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
  • FOOD
  • FOREST
  • ENERGY
  • WASH
  • LAND
  • OTHERS
    • FINANCE
    • HEALTH
    • OCEANS
    • TOP STORIES
    • MOST POPULAR
    • COLUMNISTS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • OPINIONS
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEOS
No Result
View All Result
Africa Climate Reports
No Result
View All Result

Lesotho: Financing for 11 New Minigrids

by Jiata Ekele
January 14, 2022
in ENERGY, FINANCE
0
Home ENERGY
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Image: Pixabay (Lesotho-flag-696×522)

The EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative and the UK-funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) have each invested €4.4million ($4.9m) into a project-finance vehicle led by OnePower (1PWR) to build minigrids in Lesotho.

The equity and debt investment into the project vehicle, Sotho Minigrid Portfolio SPV will fund the construction of 11 minigrids in Lesotho with a total capacity of 1.8MW. The minigrids will provide first-time electricity access to 20,000 people and renewable energy to seven health clinics.

Landlocked Lesotho has one of the lowest electrification rates in Africa. Around 62% of its population lacks access to electricity and their rural electrification rate is estimated to be below 20%.

Once completed the minigrids should create around 7,300 new connections a generate up to 3,480MW a year. This would avoid emissions of around 2,780 tons of CO2 annually. Around 100 local jobs will be created by 1PWR during the construction of the project and six permanent positions will be created during operations.

1PWR will deploy a host of technological innovations in their solar-battery energy systems, including PV trackers designed and manufactured in sub-Saharan Africa. The company will deploy smart meters optimised for local and off-grid conditions pre-built powerhouses to ensure efficient construction and deployment of generation systems.

RelatedPosts

Un financement à long terme soutient la banque de gènes d’AfricaRice et l’avenir de la diversité rizicole

Long-Term Funding Supports AfricaRice Genebank and the Future of Rice Diversity

Supported by the European programme GET.invest, 1PWR has optimised its financial modelling and minigrids development progress to enable a tariff of $0.33/kWh. This is the equivalent of LSL5 per kWh in local currency, which is an almost cost-reflective tariff but still very competitive by local standards.

It takes a global village to build a minigrids in Lesotho

Both EDFI ElectriFI and REPP (managed by Camco Clean Energy) have previously invested in 1PWR project. EDFI Electrifi signed a development finance loan of €0.1million ($113,262) with 1PWR in 2018 which allowed the organisation to procure a feasibility study that laid the groundwork for the current minigrids portfolio. In 2019 REPP extended a LSL7 million ($450,000) loan to 1PWR to finance the first solar-battery minigrids in Lesotho.

Geoff Sinclair, Camco Clean Energy Managing Director: “Two years ago a REPP loan helped 1PWR to forge ahead with its plans to build Lesotho’s very first solar minigrids and deliver a transformational impact on the underserved community of Ha Makebe.

It has been tremendously satisfying to witness the successful completion of that minigrids and there is a real buzz of exciting to now be supporting this next and much larger phase of the project.”

In addition to the EDFI ElectrFI and REPP investment, 1PWR has received grant support from the UN Capital Development Fund and UN Development Programme, Power Africa, EEP Africa and UK AID via the Transforming Energy Access programme, as well as a loan from the Open Road Alliance.

Get.invest has provided advisory and facilitation services and Sidley Austin and Covington & Burling through the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw programme have provided legal services.

Tags: energy accessLesothoMinigrid InvestmentminigridsSolar Power
ShareTweetSendShare
Jiata Ekele

Jiata Ekele

Jiata Ekele is a Staff Writer at the Africa Climate Reports (ACR).

Related Posts

Long-Term Funding Supports AfricaRice Genebank and the Future of Rice Diversity
CLIMATE CHANGE

Un financement à long terme soutient la banque de gènes d’AfricaRice et l’avenir de la diversité rizicole

September 12, 2025

By Ken KOUTCHAKPO Plus de 35 millions de petits riziculteurs à travers l’Afrique devraient bénéficier de l’accord signé le mois...

Long-Term Funding Supports AfricaRice Genebank and the Future of Rice Diversity
CLIMATE CHANGE

Long-Term Funding Supports AfricaRice Genebank and the Future of Rice Diversity

September 12, 2025

By Ken KOUTCHAKPO Over 35 million smallholder rice farmers across Africa stand to benefit from the agreement signed last month...

Next Post
Nigeria pumps billions into Ailing Energy Sector

Nigeria pumps billions into Ailing Energy Sector

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recommended

How AfCFTA is driving sustainable development in Southern and Eastern Africa

How AfCFTA is driving sustainable development in Southern and Eastern Africa

4 hours ago
How TAAT Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes sparked a wellness movement

How TAAT Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes sparked a wellness movement

1 day ago
Calls for a Unified African Climate Agenda grows as CCDA XII ends

Calls for a Unified African Climate Agenda grows as CCDA XII ends

1 week ago
The Malaika potatoes

Potatoes bred at The James Hutton Institute will help to battle a major pest in Kenya, Experts say

2 weeks ago
13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa opens in Addis Ababa

13th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa opens in Addis Ababa

2 weeks ago
Ghana: How TAAT is Growing Nutrition and Opportunities through Improved Vegetables

Ghana: How TAAT is Growing Nutrition and Opportunities through Improved Vegetables

2 weeks ago

Popular News

    Social Media

    ABOUT US

    Africa Climate Reports is Africa’s first and largest bilingual journal dedicated to opening new vistas in the coverage and reportage of climate change and the region’s environment. With a multi-lingual team of talented reporters from across the continent, we tell the African climate story in a refreshingly lucid, communally engaging and technically robust manner.

    SITE LINK

    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers

    OTHER LINKS

    • About
    • Become a Climate Reporter
    • Send Us Your Report
    • Submit A News
    • Support Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

    NEWSLETTER

    Be the first to get notified when we have something new to share. Get Africa Climate Reports newsletter directly into your email.
    we promise not to spam you!
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Careers

    © 2024 All Rights Reserved- Africa Climate Report - Designed by Prexy

    No Result
    View All Result
    • HOME
    • CLIMATE CHANGE
    • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
    • FOOD
    • FOREST
    • ENERGY
    • WASH
    • LAND
    • OTHERS
      • FINANCE
      • HEALTH
      • OCEANS
      • TOP STORIES
      • MOST POPULAR
      • COLUMNISTS
      • INTERVIEWS
      • OPINIONS
      • PHOTOS
      • VIDEOS

    © 2024 All Rights Reserved- Africa Climate Report - Designed by Prexy