International law firm Simmons & Simmons has advised Solarcentury Africa
on a $40m loan from Standard Bank South Africa to support the expansion of a major solar plant in Zambia.
The Mailo Solar Plant is the first dedicated merchant solar power plant to trade power through the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), and a milestone in the renewable energy sector across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Following the deal, construction will now begin to extend the plant's capacity to 60 MWp. This will be followed by a further expansion to full 118 MWp capacity.
Solarcentury is a UK-headquartered renewable energy specialist focused on developing a portfolio of high-impact merchant solar projects across sub-Saharan Africa.
The Simmons team advising Solarcentury Africa was led by Joanne Elson, Of Counsel in the firm's energy, natural resources, and infrastructure (ENRI) group, [supported by Vannina Castellani (Managing Associate) and Becky Panton (Supervising Associate).]
Commenting on the deal, Joanne Elson said: "The continued expansion of the Mailo Solar Plant is a significant development for the merchant solar sector in the region. Our team's experience and renewable energy expertise across the SADC was central to supporting Solarcentury Africa on securing this critical loan."
