Deal between ISA and NTPC for solar energy projects in African countries

After the market closed, big news has come about NTPC. International Solar Alliance (ISA) and India’s government company NTPC are going to sign a tripartite agreement with seven African countries soon. Under this agreement, large-scale solar energy projects will be started.

Under this initiative, a 30 MW floating solar project will be set up in Mauritius. According to the filing, solar projects of 800 MW in Guinea, 400 MW in Ethiopia, 100-100 MW in Malawi and Zambia, and 50-50 MW in Mali and Niger are proposed.

NTPC will play the role of project management consultant in these countries and will study the practicality of the projects.

Talks with Ethiopia and Guinea are in an advanced stage, while the business model can be customized to popularize the projects on the request of countries like Zambia. NTPC’s role will also include designing the bid process for developer selection.

According to ISA, most of the solar modules for these projects in Africa are being exported from India. Along with this, significant participation of Indian power developers is also being seen in these projects.

Solar module exports from India have increased, but China still remains the largest solar tools supplier globally. In such a situation, ISA is working on diversifying the source of solar equipment to reduce the risk of instability in the supply chain.