JCM Power Wins Bid for 30-MW Solar Plant in Mozambique

A consortium led by Canadian renewable energy developer JCM Power has won the right to build a 30-megawatt solar project in Mozambique's Tete Province, marking the company's entry into the country under the government's renewable energy auction programme.

The African Energy Council announced the award on Thursday. The project, known as the Manje solar park, was secured through Mozambique's Renewable Energy Auctions Promotion Programme (PROLER), a scheme that invites private developers to bid for the right to build and operate renewable energy plants. JCM Power will be responsible for financing, designing, building, operating and maintaining the solar farm, drawing on its experience delivering similar projects in Malawi.

PROLER has struggled to reach construction

PROLER was launched in September 2020 by Mozambique's Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, backed by funding from the European Union and the French Development Agency (AFD). The programme originally targeted four projects totalling 160 megawatts: three 40-megawatt solar plants at Dondo, Manje and Lichinga, and a 40-megawatt wind project in Inhambane.

Progress since then has been uneven. A 50-megawatt solar plant at Lichinga was awarded to a consortium of Dutch developer Gigawatt Global and the Anglican Church of Niassa, while the Dondo site, since rescoped to 30 megawatts, was awarded to Total Eren in April 2022. That project has since stalled, and Mozambique's energy regulator, ARENE, reopened the tender for it earlier this year without disclosing a reason. As of April 2026, none of the projects under PROLER had reached financial close or begun construction, according to industry reporting. JCM Power's selection for Manje represents one of the programme's few tenders to advance toward a formal award in recent months.

Mozambique is racing to expand access

The Manje award fits into a broader push to widen electricity access in Mozambique. The country's National Energy Compact says electrification increased from 31% in 2018 to 60.1% in 2024, with universal access targeted by 2030. Mozambique also plans to raise installed solar photovoltaic capacity from 98 megawatts in 2024 to 303 megawatts by 2032, a target the Manje project would contribute toward if it reaches construction.

Whether JCM Power can move Manje past the stalled stage that has affected other PROLER awards, including Dondo, is likely to be an early test of the programme's ability to deliver on its 120-megawatt target.