Solarcentury Africa has inaugurated the first merchant solar project in Namibia, following the commissioning of its 19.3 MWp Gerus solar photovoltaic plant near Gerus in the Otjozondjupa Region.
The Gerus plant is the first solar project in Namibia to sell electricity directly into the Southern African Power Pool and only the second purpose-built merchant solar facility in Africa.
The first was Solarcentury Africa’s 25 MWp Mailo solar plant in Zambia, which entered commercial operation in July 2025.
Construction is underway on a 34 MWp Phase 2 expansion at Mailo, which is expected to reach commercial operation in the second quarter of 2026.
The Gerus project was developed in partnership with Sino Energy (Pty) Limited and completed over a 12-month construction period.
The plant operates without a long-term power purchase agreement and trades electricity directly on the regional power market.
Solarcentury Africa wholly owns the project. Funding was provided by BB Energy, the independent global energy trading group and parent company of Solarcentury Africa.
Solarcentury Trading, a registered member of the Southern African Power Pool, sells electricity generated at Gerus.
Solarcentury Africa chief executive officer Jason de Carteret said the commissioning of Gerus demonstrated the role of merchant renewable energy projects in expanding electricity supply in the region.
BB Energy group chief executive officer Mohamed Bassatne said the project aligns with the group’s strategy to expand renewable energy trading alongside its existing energy trading activities.
He told BB Energy views electricity trading as a future growth area and pointed to the establishment of a dedicated power trading team in Geneva earlier in 2025.
During construction, the Gerus project created up to 275 jobs, with more than 98% of positions filled by Namibians. The company said the project included skills transfer and training initiatives.
The plant is expected to generate approximately 50.8 GWh of electricity per year, which Solarcentury Africa estimates is sufficient to supply power to more than 14,000 Namibian households.
The company also estimates annual carbon dioxide emission reductions of about 17,000 tonnes.
The total investment in the Gerus solar plant is about US$20 million, Solarcentury Africa said, representing the most significant UK investment in Namibia’s clean energy sector to date.
Solarcentury Africa acknowledged the involvement of Alensy Energy Solutions as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, Sino Energy as the development partner, and Nexus as the land partner.
The company also cited cooperation from NamPower, the Electricity Control Board of Namibia and the Southern African Power Pool.
Solarcentury Africa said it plans to develop, own and operate more than 320 MWp of fully merchant solar capacity by 2027.
The company is part of the BB Energy Group, which manages energy trading businesses globally and is expanding its renewable energy portfolio.
