KENYA – Serengeti Energy, a renewable energy company, and Proparco, the French development finance institution, have signed a landmark €250,000 (US$271,663) grant agreement to support climate change adaptation for Serengeti Energy’s power plants in sub-Saharan Africa.
This strategic partnership aims to enhance the resilience and sustainability of renewable energy infrastructure in the face of the increasing challenges posed by climate change.
This initiative comes in the wake of severe floods that recently devastated the Kasese District in south-western Uganda, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where two of Serengeti Energy’s hydropower plants are located.
The floods have underscored the urgent need for robust climate change adaptation measures to protect critical infrastructure and support local communities.
“This is a significant milestone in our ongoing partnership with Proparco,” Mr. Anton-Louis Olivier, CEO of Serengeti Energy, noted.
“By enhancing the resilience of our power plants, we are not only mitigating operational and commercial risks for our business but also ensuring that these power plants continue to provide sustainable and affordable power to the people of Sub-Saharan Africa.”
The key objectives of the grant will focus on Infrastructure Resilience, Environmental Monitoring, and Staff Training.
Infrastructure Resilience will focus on hydrological analysis, Climate physical risk analysis, and adaptation action plan proposals.
Environmental Monitoring will focus on enhancing the capacity for environmental monitoring, such as sediment load in the rivers, to track climate change impacts and adapt operations accordingly, ensuring minimal ecological disruption.
Staff Training will focus on providing comprehensive training programs for staff to equip them with the necessary skills to manage climate change-related challenges, improve operational efficiency, and efficiently maintain assets.
“We are thrilled to partner with Serengeti Energy, a leading player specializing in hydroelectricity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change is a pressing challenge, and we must support innovative projects that mitigate its impact,” said Mr. Guillaume Barberousse, Sustainable Development Director of Proparco.
“This adaptation project aims to improve the resilience to climate change of Serengeti hydropower plants and provide training for Serengeti staff on climate change-related issues.
“This support will ensure the assets’ operational efficiency and robustness in facing exceptional weather conditions, thus continuing to provide sustainable and affordable electricity to the vulnerable populations of Sub-Saharan Africa. This grant is a testament to our commitment to building sustainable and resilient communities, particularly in regions vulnerable to extreme weather events.”
The grant will implement advanced climate change adaptation and mitigation measures at Serengeti Energy’s power plants, ensuring operational efficiency and reliability in the face of increasingly erratic weather patterns and environmental changes.
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