Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), Proparco and E3 Capital have each decided to invest $500,000 in Nuru, bridging a financing gap to bolster the company’s $25 million Series B equity fundraise. The residual funds will be invested by an impressive consortium of international investors at financial close. The raise will help to accelerate the implementation of three nationally strategic late-stage development projects in Goma, Kindu and Bunia, with an aggregate installed capacity of 13.7 MWp.
REPP is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and managed by Camco. Proparco is the private sector financing arm of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), and E3 Capital is a leading investor in low-carbon early-stage companies.
According to the World Bank, approximately 19 percent of DRC’s population has access to electricity, making the Central African country one of the least electrified in the world. Making things worse, DRC’s grid power generation comes predominantly from hydropower plants, which are coming under mounting pressure due to a lack of maintenance and the increased incidence of drought due to climate change.
Nuru and its investors endeavor to aid in closing the energy access deficit while directly diversifying and decentralising DRC’s energy mix, thereby supporting DRC’s Strategic National Development Plan (SNDP 2019-2023) goal for increased renewable energy capacity.
To date, the company has installed 1.7 MWp of operating capacity, providing commercial and industrial (C&I), retail and residential customers in large off-grid towns with reliable, affordable and clean electricity via solar PV installations (with battery storage and diesel back up) and isolated distribution networks.
In addition to the three late-stage development projects, Nuru has a further 35 MWp in its current active pipeline, which it expects to be fully commissioned within the next three years. Once both phases have been completed, the company will be providing first-time clean energy access to over 230,000 people as well as approximately 5,300 C&I businesses and social and public institutions, most of whom currently rely on diesel gensets for their power.
“It is great to see how UK investment in Nuru is helping to accelerate its solar projects in Goma, Kindu and Bunia” said British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Emily Maltman. “The UK is committed to helping improve access to clean energy in DRC – to create jobs, power public services and improve livelihoods.”
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