Newsletter 2026: Powering Africa's Future

Dear partners and friends of Empower New Energy, 

What a start of the new year! Two weeks ago we had the extreme pleasure to inaugaurate our first solar and battery investment in Kano in Nigeria, together with our project partners Paras Energy and Huawei, hosted by Mr. Abubakar Maifata, Chairman, chairman of the project beneficiary UMZA Group of Industries and also chairman of the national rice processors industry association  (RIPAN), Abubakar Maifata. Kano is Nigeria’s second largest business region, suffering from unreliable supply of power and high dependence on diesel back-up power. 

Looking back at 2025, we proudly  brought seven new solar plants online the last year, and started construction on nine additional projects. This includes Morocco’s largest rooftop solar and West Africa's biggest retail solar project in Nigeria. 

We are starting the year with a solid pipeline of new solar and battery projects for Commercial and Industrial partners worth more than. USD 150 million.  Supported by our committed equity and debt partners, we are well positioned to scale solar and battery projects that deliver strong financial, operational and environmental returns.  

In this newsletter, you will find some of the highlights from our portfolio across Africa. 

Our mission remains the same: To empower African businesses with clean, reliable and affordable energy while creating lasting value for all stakeholders and our environment. 

Opening of New Solar and Battery Plant at UMZA Rice Mill with Paras Energy and Huawei in Kano, Nigeria

Empower New Energy, Huawei and Paras Energy started the year by opening a new 1 MW solar + 2.15 MWh battery installation at UMZA Rice and Oil Mill in Kano, Nigeria. 

The rooftop 1 MWp solar and 2.15 MWh battery installation provides reliable, affordable and clean electricity. The installation was completed less than a year after the signing of the 10-year contract between Empower New Energy and UMZA to develop, finance, construct and operate the hybrid solar and battery plant. Paras Energy is responsible for engineering, design, construction, and operations, while Huawei is supplying advanced PV and battery technologies. 

This hybrid energy system will significantly reduce UMZA’s energy costs and improve their operational performance.  Before UMZA transitioned to solar energy, the company suffered from several hours of power outage per day combined with fluctuations in frequency and voltage levels that damaged operations and resulted in high costs of diesel back-up power. 

These problems are now solved, thanks to the seamless integration of energy from mainly solar panels, batteries and grid power. 

With this pioneering milestone, Empower and partners have built a platform that will bring affordable solar power to local businesses in need of reliable, sustainable and affordable energy in the Kano, as well as boosting the economy and employment opportunities.  

Read more about this opening in Nigerian newspaper Vanguard, Ecofin Agency, Solar Financed Africa,Leadership News and SolarQuarter . 

"The solar revolution is taking over—country after country, continent after continent. Solar energy is becoming the fastest-growing source of energy almost everywhere around the world.” - Terje Osmundsen, CEO Empower New Energy 

Major advancements in Morocco and Tunisia   

2025 has been a significant year for Empower in North Africa. In Morocco and Tunisia, where manufacturers rely heavily on exports to Europe, the EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is making “carbon competitiveness” a key driver for our projects, alongside our cost-competitive solar tariffs.  

Morocco’s Largest Rooftop Solar Plant  

In Morocco, our latest investments include the country’s largest rooftop solar plant at Saray Immo, a 49,000 m² automated logistics and manufacturing hub, and started work on two OP Mobility factories exporting to Europe’s automotive industry. The 7,5 MUSD investment in these projects is currently in construction with partner Azolis and will save up to 10 000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year.   In Tunisia we have launched a 2 MW carport and rooftop solar project for LEONI together with EPC partner AR Solaire, marking the first step to solarize all 10 sites of the company. 

• Read more: Empower was interviewed by African Business about the carbon tax 

Decarbonizing the Steel Industry in Kenya 

In Kenya, manufacturing companies are affected by high electricity costs. Less than a year after we built the first solar 2,5 MW PV plant for Abysssinia Group in Awasi, we are now building our forth investment for the leading East African steel manufacturer together with EPC partner SpenoMatic, bringing the capacity to 9 MWp and producing 14 GWh of clean energy per year.  

We recently made a video about the Awasi-project in Kenya you can have a look at here. 

Read more about our project in newspapers The Standard Kenya and The Star Kenya.  

Nigeria in the hearth of the energy transition   

Nigeria has been one of our top investment countries in 2025.  In this large and vibrant economy, where most businesses rely on diesel generators for energy supply, hybrid solutions with solar and batteries have become the standard solution in almost all our investments.   During the Nordic Nigeria Connect in October 2025, we signed two new investment agreements, for Jendol Superstores and the manufacturer Juddy Bolema, in partnership with Paras Energy. 

We also marked the commissioning of Empower’s first investment in the bank sector with  

25 solar + battery installations for the United Bank of Africa and contractor Renewvia. 

Another major event in 2025 was the launch of a second major investment for Justrite Superstores, bringing the number of superstores powered by solar with our EPC partner Powercell from 10 to 21. This is now the largest retail solar initiative in West Africa. 

In Kano region, we built the first of two solar investments, a 1 MWp rooftop solar PV system with a 2 MWh lithium-ion battery storage for UMZA, one of Nigeria’s top rice millers.  

• Read more: Together for a Sustainable Future in Nigeria – by Empower CEO Terje Osmundsen & Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Bæra 

CEO Announcement 

Empower New Energy would like to announce that Terje Osmundsen, will be joined by his Co-Founder Susie Scannelli Cook in a new role as a Co-CEO of Empower New Energy. 

The initiative will allow the company to focus on increasing its footprint in target markets in Africa, raise further investment capital while at the same time managing a growing portfolio of solar assets with commercial and industrial clients. 

Susie has worked with Empower since 2018,  and is currently Chief Investment Officer in the company. Terje has led Empower from its inception in 2018, and plans to take up a non-executive role in the company when the transition period is completed. 

Thanks to our people and partners 

We would like to take this opportunity thank our team of 23 highly dedicated professionals of 13 different nationalities working from Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Norway and England. Our people from different cultures and countries make Empower a unique organization to work for. 

Lastly, we want to thank our partners and investors for their trust and partnership. We are looking forward to building and cooperating on our projects further in the year ahead of us! 

By 2030, Empower New Energy aims to invest over USD 300 million in decentralized solar energy across Africa, avoiding 500,000 tonnes of CO2 and creating around 20,000 jobs 

Do you want to stay updated with news from Empower New Energy?  

Sign up for our newsletter here. 

You can also follow us on LinkedIn