Our investment in Anzana Electric Group
Rural electrification rate in Burundi, one of Anzana’s key countries of operation
The company focuses on projects of up to 20 MW as well as associated distribution networks
Anzana Electric Group is a renewable energy company that is developing, investing, and operating renewable power projects and rural electricity networks.
In December 2022, we announced our investment of up to $50 million in Anzana Electric Group (formerly Virunga Power). The company works closely with governments and local developers to deliver and scale projects that provide electricity to rural users and enable sustainable economic growth.
Anzana Electric Group uses run-of-river hydropower technology to provide low-cost, 24/7 electricity. The team has extensive experience in designing, developing and operating renewable energy projects in challenging environments.
The company typically focuses on projects of up to 20 MW, as well as associated distribution networks to provide access to energy in rural areas, and to reinforce national grid stability.
Anzana works in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia today.
Rural electrification is highly impactful but incredibly challenging. We see our investment in Anzana Electric Group as an opportunity to build a scaleable, sustainable, green utility business to alleviate rural energy poverty.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals highlight the importance of widening energy access. Our investment in will serve as a catalytic example to the sector.
The investment will increase the amount of renewable generation in rural contexts (GWh served), increasing the number of users connected to grid-quality electricity, and reducing carbon emissions.
“Anzana Electric Group has the potential to transform rural communities in Africa by providing them with grid-quality, low-cost, 24/7 electricity to drive economic growth. We’re investing in Anzana because we believe they can become Africa’s first large-scale, private utility to sustainably operate in a rural context. In doing so they can demonstrate the viability of rural infrastructure investment.”
“At Anzana Electric Group, we believe that renewable energy is not just a solution to energy poverty, but also a catalyst for economic growth and social development. Our mission is to transform the energy landscape in East and southern Africa by providing reliable, clean, and affordable energy to rural areas that have not been well served by the grid. We’ll use Gridworks’ capital to expand electricity access and drive economic and industrial growth in communities across the region.”
Gridworks makes equity investments in transmission, distribution and distributed energy utilities in Africa.
