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50 MW UAE solar plant raises Central African Republic’s power capacity by 60%
The new plant follows Global South Utilities’ solar project in Chad as the Abu Dhabi company expands across Africa and other emerging markets
- PUBLISHED: Sun 16 Aug 2026, 8:57 AM
At 50 megawatts, the new Sakaï solar plant is just one-fortieth the size of Abu Dhabi’s 2GW Al Dhafra solar project. In the Central African Republic, those same 50MW are enough to increase the country’s electricity generation capacity by more than 60 per cent.
Abu Dhabi-based Global South Utilities (GSU) has inaugurated the plant near the capital Bangui, pairing more than 80,000 solar panels with a 15MWh battery energy storage system.
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Built in 10 months, the facility is expected to provide clean electricity to more than 300,000 households and cut more than 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to GSU. “It is a project of historic national importance that will help shape the future of the Central African Republic,” Ali Alshimmari, Managing Director and CEO of GSU, said.
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“It reflects the power of partnership, the importance of keeping commitments and a shared belief in a better future for the Central African Republic. We delivered it in 10 months.”
Why 50MW matters so much
The scale becomes clearer when set against the country’s existing electricity system.
Only 18.2 per cent of the Central African Republic’s population had access to electricity in 2024, according to the World Bank. In rural areas, access was about 2 per cent.
The country has spent years trying to expand a system constrained by limited generation, weak transmission and distribution infrastructure and a national utility that has struggled to recover enough revenue to maintain and extend services.
A World Bank-backed solar plant at Danzi, commissioned in 2023, added 25MW of solar generation with 25MWh of battery storage. The new Sakaï facility has twice that solar generation capacity.
Its 15MWh battery system is designed to store electricity and release it when needed, helping the grid manage the variability of solar generation. It does not mean the plant can supply its full 50MW output around the clock.
GSU says Sakaï lifts the country’s overall generation capacity by more than 60 per cent. That figure describes the amount of electricity the system is capable of generating, however, not an immediate 60 per cent increase in the number of people connected to power.
Generation is only part of the job
Getting electricity from a solar plant into homes, hospitals and businesses requires transmission lines, substations and distribution networks capable of carrying it.
Separate World Bank-backed works in the country include new 110kV transmission lines linking the Danzi and Sakaï substations, alongside upgrades intended to strengthen distribution and extend household connections.
That wider infrastructure will determine how much of Sakaï’s additional power translates into reliable electricity for residents.
The UAE role in the project also extends beyond the developer. Alshimmari said concessional financing from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development was instrumental in getting the plant delivered.
“Every successful infrastructure project begins with a shared vision, but it is partnership that turns that vision into reality,” he said. “For GSU, this is another step in building enduring partnerships across Africa and contributing to the continent’s long-term economic and social development.”
Sakaï follows GSU’s solar project in Chad as the Abu Dhabi company expands across Africa and other emerging markets.
But in the Central African Republic, the most striking measure of the project is not how large 50MW sounds. It is how much difference the same number can make when added to a power system where electricity remains scarce.
Ahmed Waqqas Alawlaqi is the youngest Special Correspondent, reporting from Abu Dhabi on youth, AI and innovation, and human-interest stories. His work brings exclusive perspectives from the Capital, highlighting voices that shape the UAE's future.