KEY POINTS
- Somaliland launched a $24 million UAE-backed solar project with 12MWp generation and 70MWh battery storage.
- The project is financed by UAE-based Global South Utilities and targets Berbera and the wider Saaxil region.
- Berbera is emerging as a strategic logistics and clean energy hub along the Gulf of Aden in Horn of Africa.
Somaliland has officially broken ground on a $24 million solar energy expansion in Berbera, the largest clean energy investment the port city has seen and a signal that the territory’s government is serious about converting its commercial ambitions into infrastructure.
Energy and Minerals Minister Ahmed Jama Barre launched the project Monday in a ceremony attended by senior government officials, the Berbera mayor, energy sector representatives and local community leaders. The financing comes from UAE-based Global South Utilities, the same company that built Berbera’s earlier 5MW solar plant under the Green Berbera initiative.
The new project is substantially larger. It includes a 12 megawatt-peak solar generation system paired with a 70 megawatt-hour battery energy storage facility, a combination designed to stabilize distribution and reduce the reliability gaps that have long frustrated households, businesses and industrial users across the Saaxil region.
Berbera as Somaliland’s commercial centerpiece
Barre was direct about what the government is building toward. “Berbera is becoming the country’s commercial hub. The President’s policy is based on bringing large-scale investment into the country,” he said. He added that Berbera’s strategic location along the Gulf of Aden has made it a magnet for international investor interest.
The minister said Somaliland’s government would continue backing companies investing in renewable energy as part of a broader push to modernize essential public services. “The Somaliland government stands with anyone investing in renewable energy, and we encourage such investments,” he said.
A port city betting on energy and logistics
Berbera’s rise as a regional gateway has been building for years. The expansion of the Port of Berbera and the development of the Berbera Corridor connecting Somaliland to landlocked regional markets have steadily raised the city’s commercial profile. The new solar project slots into that larger picture by giving Berbera the reliable electricity infrastructure that serious industrial and logistics investment requires.
GSU’s earlier 5MW plant was designed to cut diesel dependence and improve energy access for more than 28,000 homes. The new 12MWp system expands that foundation significantly, positioning Berbera as a reference point for clean energy investment in the Horn of Africa rather than just a recipient of it.
Officials say the project directly reflects pledges made by President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro to expand public infrastructure and improve access to reliable electricity services across Somaliland.
