The Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) is inviting private minigrid developers to bid for a solar-plus-battery project.
The tender details state that the chosen developer will be responsible for designing, part-financing, constructing, operating and maintaining the minigrid, which will be built in Bulimeni, southern Eswatini.
The tender document states that the community has at least 168 potential customers and is remotely located with no current access to electricity due to unfavourable road infrastructure. To ensure the minigrid is capable of electrifying as many people in the area as possible, the solar system should be around 65 kW in size, while the battery storage system should have a capacity of 165 kWh.
A bidders conference is scheduled to take place on Nov. 6, with a compulsory pre-bid site visit set for the day after.
ESERA will accept requests for clarification that are sent in writing until Nov. 19, ahead of a deadline to submit applications on Dec. 3. Bidders will be required to pay a non-refundable bidding fee of SZL 2,000 ($116.01) prior to the deadline.
According to the Africa Solar Industry Association’s (AFSIA) project database, Eswatini has 28.7 MW of operational solar, 0.1 MW of which comes from existing minigrid projects.