According to bank documents, the project objective is to add solar PV and energy storage facilities to the Comorian power generation mix.

The project has three components;

1. Grid-connected Solar PV, Storage Facilities, and Power System Upgrades (US$29 million). The component will deliver the first MW-scale Solar PV Park in the Comoros with up to 10 MW of solar PV and 7 MWh of Li-Ion battery storage capacity. The construction of PV generation and storage capacity will be realized in 2-3 batches. In parallel, significant additional investments and system upgrades (including system controls, automation, and engineering/feasibility studies) will be implemented. Component 1 will be procured and competitively tendered as a single investment package that will include two years of O&M and a subsequent, well-defined 12-month handover period. Tailored capacity building activities for MAMWE technical staff will also be funded under this component.
2. Promotion of Off-Grid Solar PV and Public Lighting (US$5 million) on all three islands. Based on a detailed marketassessment, the first sub-component will focus on the competitive procurement of an initial batch of 20,000 SHS7 of different system sizes. A streamlined mobile-enabled commercialization platform for SHS will be developed that will be based on MAMWE’s new Bank-funded customer management system (CMS). This will allow tapping into MAMWE’s existing customer base and commercial infrastructure by offering a scheme to pay upfront cost of SHS in small increments through the electricity bill. Local service companies and distributors will be key to successfully install, and maintain the initial batch of SHS. Quality assurance, certification aspects and capacity building will be supported by Lighting Africa. The second sub-component envisages the installation of around 500 solar LED street lights in agglomeration across all three islands. The activity will cover the installation and a three year O&M contract with local private sector operators.
3. Project Management, including the Establishment and Operation of a National Project Management and Coordination Unit (US$2 million). The component will finance the recruitment of a team of international project and tender management experts to lead the planning, programming, procurement, and implementation oversight of all major energy sector investments in the country’s generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. Project management services would be provided through the establishment of a NPMU staffed with five to six senior international experts covering the entire spectrum of project and tender management, including legal, technical, and environmental/social expertise to procurement and financial management. The senior international experts would work in tandem with a team of eight to 10 local engineers and staff appointed by the GoC’s Energy and Water Directorate (DGEME) and MAMWE, who will take over management responsibility after an 18-24 month training period.

World Bank:
Jan Friedrich Kappen, David Loew
Senior Energy Specialist

Borrower:
Government of the Union of Comoros

Implementing Agencies:
SONELEC
Mohamed Soilihi
Managing Director
somomed111@gmail.com 

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