Cabo Verde inaugurates Cabeolica wind farm and battery storage expansion

AFC’s early financing enabled rapid implementation, bringing the expansion and BESS online sooner to enhance grid stability, support renewable integration, and advance Cabo Verde’s emissions-reduction and energy-security objectives. The expansion delivers 13.5 MW of new wind capacity on Santiago alongside 26 MWh of battery storage across four islands, significantly enhancing the stability and resilience of Cabo Verde’s national grid. The BESS is already contributing to improved frequency regulation and higher renewable penetration, reducing curtailment and strengthening energy security across the archipelago.

Since 2010, AFC has been a majority investor in Cabeolica S.A, supporting its evolution into one of Cabo Verde’s strongest corporate institutions and the first commercial scale renewable PPP in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past decade, the company’s 25.5 MW wind farms across four islands have generated more than 800 000 MWh of affordable electricity, contributing approximately 25% of the country’s total power generation while offsetting over 560 000 t of CO₂ emissions. With this new phase, Cabeolica further consolidates its role as a cornerstone of the country’s clean energy system.

The newly-inaugurated BESS, expected to reach nearly 30 MW of storage capacity upon final completion in January 2026, marks a significant advancement in stabilising Cabo Verde’s grid, allowing greater integration of intermittent renewables and reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels. AFC’s bridge financing was pivotal in fast-tracking construction activities and ensuring alignment with the government’s clean-energy delivery timelines, while long-term financing from senior lenders, including the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank, is being finalised.

“From the early days of the Cabeolica project to this milestone inauguration, AFC’s mission has remained unwavering: to catalyse renewable energy solutions that enhance the reliability and resilience of power systems across Africa,” said Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of AFC. “Our innovative financing accelerated this expansion, and the successful integration of new wind capacity with one of the continent’s most advanced grid-stabilising battery storage systems stands as a clear testament to AFC’s position as Africa’s leading infrastructure solutions provider.”

Ayotunde Anjorin, Chairman of Cabeólica and Chief Financial Officer of AFC, added: “As the first renewable energy commercial scale PPP in sub-Saharan Africa, Cabeólica is again proud to partner with AFC to lead this transformative expansion project comprising additional wind capacity and battery energy storage. This project underscores the Cabeólica’s deep commitment to delivering reliable, clean energy infrastructure in line with national goals and priorities and continues to set a replicable model for the region.”

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