Authorities in Cameroon are in talks over the development of two new large-scale solar projects with a planned cumulative capacity of 244 MW.

According to an update posted by the country’s Electricity Sector Regulatory Authority (ARSEL), a working session took place earlier this month to discuss plans for a 200 MW solar project in Ntui, within central Cameroon, and a 44 MW solar project in Banyo, northern Cameroon.

French-based developer WB Synergy SAS and Cameroonian engineering company TES Technologies SARL are responsible for the 200 MW Ntui project. According to ARSEL’s update, the stakeholders met to discuss its technical, legal and financial feasibility. Plans remain in the preliminary stage, with the regulator committing to ensuring the project’s compliance with its regulatory framework.

ARSEL also met with Cameroon’s Foundation for Development of Ecology & Humankind to discuss the 44 MW Banyo project.

The foundation presented the main technical features of the proposed plant, which is expected to include a battery storage system. While this project also remains in the early stages of implementation, ARSEL says it has provided “the information and guidance necessary to continue the development process of the initiative.”

Cameroon’s utility-scale solar market is still in its relative infancy, with both the Banyo and Ntui projects larger than any single-site operational today. The government previously set a target of installing 250 MW of grid-connected solar with an indicative end-of-decade deadline.

Norwegian developer Scatec completed Cameroon’s Maroua and Guider solar projects in September 2023, with a combined capacity of 35.8 MW of solar and 19 MWh of BESS. It has since announced an expansion of 28.6 MW of solar and 19.2 MWh of storage across both sites.

The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has tracked 831 MW of solar in Cameroon to date, according to figures from its online project database, including 37 MW of utility-scale solar. A further 650 MW is listed as unidentified C&I projects.