Aerial view of the Sakai photovoltaic power plant near Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, June 2, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)
Gotion High-Tech, a leading Chinese battery manufacturer, completed the first phase of its giant factory in Morocco on October 13, marking a major milestone in its global expansion and construction of the first giant new energy battery factory in Africa.
Driven by continuous investment and innovative research, Chinese new energy products, such as lithium batteries and photovoltaic panels, are now recognized for their quality and competitiveness on a global scale. Sino-African cooperation in this sector contributes to the achievement of sustainable electricity development on the African continent.
Located in the Atlantic Free Zone of Kenitra, Morocco, the Gotion High-Tech project covers a total area of 543 hectares. It is the largest foreign-invested project in the North African country, with total investment reaching $6.5 billion in phases. The project aims to create the first giant battery factory in Africa, with completion planned for 2026.
This project, which will constitute Africa’s first complete industrial chain base for lithium-ion batteries, will enable local production ranging from raw materials to energy storage systems. It will constitute a key driver for Morocco’s energy transition and industrial modernization, said Yang Chen, general manager of the giant Gotion High-Tech factory in Morocco, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Beyond this industrial megaproject, Sino-African cooperation also takes place on a more local scale, with tailor-made solutions.
About nine kilometers west of Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, is the locality of Bimbo 4, where 33,432 solar panels of almost two square meters each, arranged on a field of approximately 16 hectares, provide electricity daily to factories, schools and households in Bangui after converting sunlight into energy.
The Sakai photovoltaic power plant, called “Solar Field” by locals, is a Chinese aid project built by China Energy Engineering Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd (TEPC). Since the start of grid-connected electricity production in 2022, it has contributed to local social and economic development while mitigating Bangui’s energy deficit.
Official data shows that the plant successfully covers 30% of the city’s electricity needs. Emmanuel-Boris Yandouandji, 32, father of two children and tenant in Bangui, testifies to the changes brought about by the plant.
“The night economy is also developing. A member of my family has a small restaurant open in the evening. The Solar Field has brought new life to the area and I think the situation is improving,” says Mr. Yandouandji.
In Mali, West Africa, the solar project built by a Chinese company installs 1,195 off-grid solar home systems, 200 solar street lighting systems, 17 solar water pumping systems and two centralized solar power supply systems in the villages of Marico Nubura and Karang, providing access to clean and reliable electricity to tens of thousands of local residents.
According to Paul Frimpong, executive director of the Africa-China Center for Policy and Advisory in Ghana, data shows that off-grid photovoltaic systems contribute to more than half of new electricity connections in sub-Saharan Africa.
Furthermore, Sino-African cooperation in the new energy sector goes beyond simply responding to immediate needs; it also helps Africa position itself as an actor in the global green transition.
According to Yang Chen, thanks to Morocco’s strategic location, the high-quality products manufactured by Gotion High-Tech in its factory in Morocco can reach the European market more quickly, thus contributing to the green transition in Europe.
At the same time, the project will catalyze the ecological transformation of upstream and downstream businesses in Morocco, accelerate the localization of technologies and talents, and build a high value-added industrial ecosystem.
By creating a cycle “green electricity production – storage – manufacturing – export”, Gotion High-Tech will support Morocco’s structural energy transition, transforming it from the status of energy importer to that of a player in the manufacturing and export of new energies, underlined Mr. Yang.
