Kamoa Copper mine launches Africa’s first 24/7 solar baseload plant

A new solar-plus-storage power plant has commenced operations at the Kamoa Copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking Africa’s first 24/7 solar baseload facility enabled by batteries.

Developed by CrossBoundary Energy, the hybrid plant provides a dispatchable supply of 30MW of firm power, though early operations have seen it providing over 150MW. The facility uses solar PV and battery energy storage to supply 50MW directly to the mine network while using the remaining output to charge batteries. The project is expected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by approximately 78,750 tonnes and decrease the mine's reliance on volatile diesel fuel costs.

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.