BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine plant in Kigali will be powered by a 5.1 MW solar plant, The New Times has learned.

The solar plant will be built by Izuba Cross Boundary Energy, which has been mandated by BioNTech to provide carbon neutral energy for the mRNA manufacturing facility, according to information on the company’s website.

ALSO READ: Rwanda unveils BioNTech&039;s first vaccine manufacturing plant in Africa

The construction of vaccine manufacturing plant was inaugurated in December 2023 by President Paul Kagame.

Once completed, the manufacturing site will be the first end-to-end mRNA manufacturing facility in Africa and will feature a completed manufacturing unit known as the BioNTainer, which are designed to manufacture a range of mRNA-based vaccines.

ALSO READ: Rwanda’s energy journey over the past decade

A Cabinet meeting chaired by President Kagame on October 18, approved the lease of state land Izuba Cross Boundary Energy Rwanda for the development of the solar plant to supply electricity to BioNtech company.

BioNTech supports the international treaty on climate change known as the Paris Agreement.

ALSO READ: Senegal President in Rwanda for BioNTech plant launch

To this end, the company is committed to operate its African manufacturing sites, including the initial plant in Rwanda, on a climate-neutral basis using renewable energy.

Izuba Energy will work to facilitate supply of the site in Rwanda with renewable energy.

The facility will include a mix of solar energy and battery storage, and is expected to be operational in mid-2025, according to information from Izuba Cross Boundary energy Rwanda Ltd.

The solar plant to be set up will have batteries with capacity to store and supply 8 MWh.

A boost to Rwanda's renewable energy efforts

The company to set up the 5.1 MW solar plant for BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine plant also installed an 8.5 MW solar plant in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province.

The 8.5MW plant which increased Rwanda’s generation capacity by 6 per cent, is situated in Rwamagana District on land owned by the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), according to the developers.

The power is being fed into the national electricity grid under a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Rwanda Energy Group (REG).

The Rwandan government targets renewable energy to contribute 60 per cent of the country’s total energy generation by 2030.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Rwanda had about 25 megawatts of deployed solar at the end of 2023.