Gigawatt Global, a renewable energy developer is working on a 7.5 MW solar field in Burundi, where 92% of the population do not have access to electricity. 

The project is the first power plant to be built in the country in over 30 years. Located in the outskirts of Mubuga village, in the Eastern providence of Gitega, the installation will rely on more than 25,000 solar panels to supply clean power to over 87,000 people and businesses, increasing installed capacity in Burundi by almost 15%.

Regulatory and financial challenges

As the first of its kind in Burundi, Gigawatt Global’s project faced several regulatory and financial challenges in attracting private and institutional investment. In 2016, it became one of the earliest projects to be supported by the GET.invest Finance Catalyst.

The Finance Catalyst advisors worked closely with partners of Gigawatt Global, in particular the UK’s Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), which had been supporting the project with development capital since December 2016, and successfully facilitated a re-introduction of the project to the Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO). Together with many partners and supporters, including the GET.invest Finance Catalyst, the Gigawatt Global project in Burundi successfully achieved financial close in January 2020.

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More information

GET.invest helps renewable energy businesses and project developers access finance in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Carraiben. Our advisors have worked with innovative businesses and projects of different sizes, technologies and business models. One thing they all have in common is driving clean energy access where it is needed most.

The program is supported by the European Union, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Austria. Partners for Innovation implements the Finance Catalyst service on behalf of GET.Invest.

Please contact Peter Vissers for more information about the GET.invest Finance Catalyst program