Kolwezi, DR Congo — Africa’s first round-the-clock “solar baseload” power plant is now delivering firm renewable electricity to one of the continent’s largest copper mines, in a project the developer describes as a breakthrough for clean power in heavy industry.
CrossBoundary Energy has brought a 233-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar plant paired with a 123 MVA / 526 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system into commercial operation at the Kamoa Copper mining complex near Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The hybrid plant guarantees 30 megawatts of firm, dispatchable power around the clock under a performance guarantee.
Detailed performance figures published on 13 October show the plant is already exceeding expectations in early operation: the solar array has been generating more than 150 MW at peak, with around 50 MW flowing directly into the mine’s network and the remainder charging the batteries for overnight use. Maximum output is expected to reach 180 MW.
Power the mine can count on
Solar power is naturally variable — it fades at sunset and dips under cloud. The Kamoa plant overcomes this with one of Africa’s largest battery installations: 90 power conversion systems and 180 battery enclosures that store surplus daytime electricity and release it through the night. The plant operates at a contracted 95 percent availability factor.
The installation is vast: more than 350,000 solar modules and 513 inverters spread across a site covering an area equal to about 257 football fields. According to the developer, the equipment was delivered, installed, commissioned and put into commercial operation within 16 months of the power purchase agreement’s signing — well under the 29-month African average for utility-scale solar-plus-storage projects.
Cutting diesel, cutting emissions
For Kamoa Copper, the plant reduces exposure to diesel fuel price volatility and supply-chain risk while cutting the site’s carbon footprint. The fuel offset amounts to an annual reduction of 78,750 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to CrossBoundary Energy.
“Achieving this milestone with Kamoa Copper S.A. is a significant step to mainstreaming round-the-clock renewable power,” said Gracia Munganga, CrossBoundary Energy’s project development director for the DRC. Kamoa Copper project manager Auguy Bakome added that the delivery speed “demonstrates how quickly renewable energy can be deployed at scale to support remote mining operations.”
Kamoa Copper is a joint venture between Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines, China’s Zijin Mining Group and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mine began producing copper concentrates in 2021, and Africa’s largest copper smelter was fired up at the complex in 2025.
Key facts: Kamoa solar baseload plant
- Location: Kamoa Copper complex near Kolwezi, DR Congo
- Capacity: 233 MWp solar + 123 MVA / 526 MWh battery storage
- Firm output: 30 MW around the clock, 95% availability
- Early operation: 150+ MW peak so far; 180 MW maximum expected
- Emissions cut: 78,750 tonnes of CO₂ per year
- Build time: 16 months from power purchase agreement to operation
- Developer: CrossBoundary Energy (independent power producer)
The bigger picture
The project signals a shift in how energy-hungry industries think about renewables. According to CrossBoundary Energy, the cost of firm renewable electricity has fallen by around 50 percent over the past five years, strengthening the economic case for solar-plus-storage against diesel and heavy-fuel generation. Around 900 temporary jobs were created during construction, with 22 permanent positions for operation.
For a continent where the World Bank puts electricity access in the DRC at just 22 percent, the Kamoa plant shows that round-the-clock renewable power is no longer a pilot concept — it is a contracted, operating reality. Read more of our renewable energy coverage at Watan News in English.
