Somalia kicks off solar-plus-storage tender

Somalia’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals has opened a tender for a hybrid solar-plus-storage project. The tender details state that the 12 MW solar and 36 MWh BESS project will be built in the northeastern port city of Berbera.

The chosen developer will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the facility, alongside the development of 13.5 km of 33 kV evacuation lines.

The project is expected to take 15 months to complete. It is part of the Somali Electricity Sector Recovery Project, which is being funded by the World Bank. A pre-bid conference will take place on April 5, 2025, ahead of a deadline for applications on May 5, 2025.

The procurement exercise is the latest in a series of hybrid solar-plus-storage project tenders in Somalia. In February, a 55 MW solar and 160 MWh BESS tender launched in Mogadishu, with a closing date of April 14. A separate tender for 10 MW of solar and a 20 MWh BESS ran through January and February.

Somalia had 51 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity by the end of 2023, up from 47 MW in 2022, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).