Pictured L to R: Florian Cammas (Director, Finergreen), Caroline Boone (Director, Finergreen), Christian Cachat (CEO, Afreenergy Solar), Fatou Gaye (Senior Business Development Manager, PIDG), Omar Jabri (PIDG Head of Business Development -Africa), Michiel Oosterhaven (PIDG Regional Business Development Lead). Photograph courtesy of Wolf Kunik.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) has committed EUR 4.3m to scale Afreenergy Solar, a specialised platform developing clean energy solutions for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in Senegal, with the ambition to expand over time into selected markets in West and Central Africa. Announced today at the Future of Energy Summit in Amsterdam, PIDG’s commitment was made through its project development solution, InfraCo.
The project will see Afreenergy Solar scale its operations to deliver up to 30MW of solar energy and up to 10MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS). Delivered in two phases, the company will engage clients across a number of sectors – including agro-industry, logistics and other energy-intensive industrial segments – aggregating multiple sites to reduce per-site costs. Operated on a lease-to-own basis, or through offtake agreements, Afreenergy Solar’s on-site solutions increase the reliability of power, and it is anticipated that customers’ energy costs will be up to 30 per cent cheaper than the national grid.
Afreenergy Solar CEO, Christian Cachat said, “This transaction gives Afreenergy Solar the means to scale a specialised C&I clean energy platform in Senegal, while laying the foundations for disciplined expansion over time. We are honoured to have PIDG’s support, through InfraCo, as an anchor investor at this stage of our development. Our focus is on delivering practical, bankable solar and storage solutions that help businesses secure more reliable power, lower energy costs and strengthen operational resilience. Senegal is a priority market for us and a strong base for future scale.”
Omar Jabri, PIDG Head of Business Development (Africa) for InfraCo said, “We are excited to work with Afreenergy Solar to scale access to reliable, clean energy for Senegal’s commercial and industrial customers. PIDG is committed to getting infrastructure finance moving and multiplying to accelerate action on climate change and to deliver sustainable development outcomes. The Afreenergy Solar transaction epitomises this work, facilitating sustainable economic growth whilst driving down emissions.”
Commercial and industrial energy users in Senegal still rely significantly on oil and other fossil-fuel-based sources; Afreenergy Solar’s model is designed to help decouple business growth from fossil fuel dependence. The transaction will also support the Government of Senegal’s objective to increasing the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix to 40 per cent by 2030 as part of its EUR 2.5bn Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) agreement signed with G7 members in 2024.
Today’s announcement aligns with PIDG’s growing commitment to Senegal where it is active across electric mobility and renewable energy, including Walo Solar, an on-grid solar-plus-battery storage facility supported by PIDG’s debt solution, the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund.
Once operating at scale, Afreenergy Solar is expected to catalyse further private capital flows into its C&I model, enabling the company to expand its footprint across West and Central Africa.
