(Business in Cameroon) – Norwegian firm Scatec is investing CFA25 billion(€38 million) to expand the Maroua and Guider solar plants.
- The expansion will increase the plants’ capacity from 35.8 MWp to 64.4 MWp.
- Despite significant potential, many announced solar projects in Cameroon face delays.
The expansion of the Maroua and Guider solar power plants in Cameroon, officially launched on September 15, 2025, by Gaston Eloundou Essomba, Cameroon’s Minister of Water and Energy, will cost €38 million, approximately CFA25 billion. This new investment will increase the production capacities of the Maroua and Guider solar plants from their current 35.8 megawatts peak (MWp) — the unit measuring maximum solar panel power under ideal production conditions — to 64.4 MWp.
This expansion project is spearheaded by the Norwegian company Scatec. Scatec previously provided Cameroon with its first two large-capacity solar plants, built in the northern part of the country. Through this new investment, Scatec, operating in Cameroon via its subsidiary Release (68% controlled by Scatec, 32% by Climate Fund Managers (CFM)), reinforces its leadership in the country’s solar market. Authorized sources indicate that this Norwegian firm is also refining a new “medium-capacity” solar project, again to be realized in northern Cameroon.
Experts assert that Cameroon’s three northern regions—Adamaoua, North, and Extreme-North—are better suited for solar energy production due to their insolation levels. According to a study by the Electricity Sector Regulatory Agency (Arsel), insolation in this part of the country reaches 5.8 kWh/m²/day, compared to only 4 kWh/m²/day in the southern regions. This makes the North the most coveted part of Cameroon by solar energy project developers. However, for undisclosed reasons, the majority of often-announced investments face significant delays.
Projects Stalled for Years
For instance, on March 25, 2022, addressing the resurgence of power outages in Cameroon’s three northern regions at the National Assembly, the Minister of Water and Energy announced the imminent construction of solar power plants with a total capacity of 120 MW in the cities of Ngaoundéré, Garoua, Maroua, and Guider. More than three years later, only the Maroua and Guider projects have been realized. These currently offer a combined capacity of 35.8 MWp, which is undergoing expansion to 64.4 MWp.
Unlike the Norwegian Scatec, which implemented the aforementioned projects, GDS Orion Solar continues to face setbacks. Since June 2019, this company signed an agreement with Cameroon’s Investment Promotion Agency (API) for a CFA15 billion (20 MWp) solar project in Ngaoundéré. An even larger project has also been stalled for nearly 10 years. The French company Générale du Solaire and the investment fund Arborescence Capital have backed it. Since 2016, they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cameroonian government for the financing, construction, and operation of solar power plants in the Adamaoua, Nord, Extrême-Nord, Centre, and Sud-Ouest regions, aiming for a total power of 300 MWp.
The realization of all these projects would allow Cameroon to exceed its objective of acquiring a total of 250 MWp of solar by 2030. This would diversify its energy mix, which remains largely dominated by hydroelectricity. Solar, wind, and biomass combined—though known for producing cheaper and cleaner energy—officially represent barely 1% of the mix.
This article was initially published in French by Brice R. Mbodiam
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
