Solarcentury Africa reaches commercial operation of 19.3 MWp solar plant in Namibia

The Gerus plant is only the second purpose-built merchant solar plant in Africa to trade electricity on the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), following Solarcentury Africa’s 25 MWp Mailo solar plant in Zambia, which entered commercial operation in July 2025. Construction is already underway on the third such project, the 34 MWp Phase 2 expansion at Mailo, expected to reach commercial operation in 2Q26.

Developed in partnership with Sino Energy (Pty) Ltd and delivered in just 12 months, Gerus is now selling electricity into the SAPP, becoming the first merchant solar plant in Namibia to do so. The project represents a major step forward for competitive, market-based power generation in the region and further consolidates Solarcentury Africa’s position as a leader in merchant renewable energy.

Jason de Carteret, CEO of Solarcentury Africa, commented: “We are incredibly proud to see Gerus reach commercial operation. This project demonstrates what is possible through strong local partnerships, technical excellence, and a shared commitment to accelerating access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy across Southern Africa.”

The Gerus solar plant is wholly owned by Solarcentury Africa. Funding for the project was provided by BB Energy, the leading independent energy trading group and parent company of Solarcentury Africa. The electricity generated at Gerus will be sold by Solarcentury Trading, a member of the SAPP, underscoring the strategic importance of trading-led power assets to the group’s evolution.

Mohamed Bassatne, Group CEO of BB Energy, added: “The transition to cleaner energy is a central pillar of our strategy and a defining element of BB Energy 3.0. Projects such as Gerus demonstrate how our capabilities in sourcing, trading, generating, transporting, and distributing energy globally can be applied to renewable markets. We firmly believe that the trading of electricity will be a key driver of BB Energy’s future growth, strengthening our leadership position while supporting a faster, market-driven transition to cleaner energy. The establishment of our dedicated power trading team in Geneva earlier in 2025 further underlines our long-term ambition in this space.”

Solarcentury Africa extends its sincere thanks to its Namibian partners Alensy Energy Solutions (EPC), Sino Energy (development partner), and Nexus (land partner). The company also acknowledges the support of NamPower, the Electricity Control Board of Namibia, and the SAPP for their collaboration in delivering the project on schedule.

Key project metrics:

• Up to 275 jobs created during construction, with over 98% filled by Namibians, alongside significant skills transfer and training.
• Approximately 50.8 GWh of clean electricity annually, enough to power more than 14 000 Namibian homes.
• An estimated reduction of around 17 000 tpy of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to the annual carbon capture of approximately 1 million trees.
• Around US$20 million of international funding, representing the largest UK investment in Namibia’s clean energy sector to date.

Looking ahead, Solarcentury Africa is on track to develop, own, and operate more than 320 MWp of fully merchant solar capacity by 2027, supported by strong local partnerships and international investment. Together with BB Energy, these initiatives play a critical role in addressing regional energy deficits while accelerating the transition to sustainable, market-based power solutions.

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