A major solar and battery energy project supplying the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mining Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has entered commercial operations, marking a significant step in the use of renewable energy to power large-scale mining in Africa.
The Kamoa-Kakula Solar BESS Baseload Project, located near Kolwezi in the DRC’s Copperbelt, began commercial operations in August 2026 and is supplying 30 megawatts (MW) of firm renewable baseload power to the mining complex. The project is being described as Africa’s first solar-and-battery baseload facility of its kind.
The project was developed, financed, owned and operated by CrossBoundary Energy under a long-term power purchase agreement with Kamoa Copper S.A. It combines a 233 MWp solar photovoltaic installation with a 123 MVA/526 MWh battery energy storage system.
The batteries store excess solar electricity during periods of generation and dispatch it when required, allowing renewable energy to provide a more consistent power supply.
Gracia Munganga, CrossBoundary Energy Development Director for the DRC, said the project demonstrates the potential for renewable energy to meet the growing electricity needs of the mining sector.
“Achieving this milestone with Kamoa Copper S.A. is a significant step to mainstreaming round the clock renewable power,” Munganga said.
“It proves how quickly clean, stable energy can be deployed and the great potential of renewable energy solutions to support the mining sector’s ambitious growth.”
Kamoa Copper Managing Director Annebel Oosthuizen said the new facility would also help support the mine’s expansion plans while maintaining its focus on lower-carbon production.
“Kamoa-Kakula continues to lead the way in sustainable mining, with our copper production being among the lowest carbon intensive in the world,” Oosthuizen said.
“The new facility by CrossBoundary Energy will help power our planned growth in copper production, delivering an additional 30 megawatts of reliable, renewable baseload power.”
The plant has a 95 per cent availability factor and is expected to generate about 300,000 megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually.
According to CrossBoundary Energy, it reached commercial operation only 16 months after the power purchase agreement was signed in April 2025, compared with an average of about 29 months for utility-scale solar and battery projects in Africa.
The facility comprises more than 357,000 solar panels and 180 battery containers. The solar installation covers 163 hectares, while the entire project occupies more than 180 hectares.
During its early operations, the photovoltaic plant was already generating more than 150 MW, with 50 MW supplied directly to the mine network and the remainder used to charge the battery system.
The project is expected to reduce the mine’s reliance on diesel generation and avoid an estimated 78,750 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. It also created 1,200 construction jobs and 18 long-term permanent local positions.
Kamoa-Kakula is described as Africa’s largest copper mining complex. Its onsite direct-to-blister copper smelter, completed in 2025, produced its first 99.7 per cent pure copper anodes in December that year and is ramping up towards a nameplate capacity of 500,000 tonnes of copper annually.
The new renewable power facility comes as the complex expands its mining and processing operations, positioning solar generation and battery storage as an increasingly important part of the DRC’s copper industry.