The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) has announced that it is partnering with ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique to expand sustainable cooking solutions in Mozambique. With EUR 1.3 million in funding, ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique will provide clean cooking solutions in Mozambique by scaling up access to innovative biodigester technology mainly in rural areas of the country.
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) supports access to and scale-up of higher-tier clean cooking solutions.
ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique, a subsidiary of ENGIE Energy Access, part of the France-headed global energy major ENGIE Group, was selected via a competitive application process under the Mozambique country program as part of the first funding round (MCFA1).
The selection process included a two-stage third-party evaluation of applications by independent experts and a detailed due diligence process carried out by Danish Energy Management A/S in consortium with LFS Advisory.
Empower farming households
ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique has been focusing on delivering off-grid solar home systems and is widely known for its Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) systems called ‘MySol’.
The EUR 1.3 million of results-based financing to be provided by MCFA will mobilize additional co-financing, at least doubling the total capital invested by the end of the project implementation.
This initiative represents a transformative leap toward sustainable development in Mozambique. By equipping rural communities with cutting-edge clean cooking solutions, we are not only enhancing health and mitigating environmental impacts but also stimulating economic growth and resilience, said Alexandra Links, Managing Director at ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique.
ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique will provide its customers with innovative biodigesters that enable farmers to convert agricultural waste into biogas and biofertilizers through a PAYGo business model.
Additionally, the biodigesters produce a valuable by-product —biofertilizer — which can replace chemical alternatives, further supporting agricultural productivity. As such, the biodigester technology will be a powerful catalyst for social and economic upliftment, delivering enduring benefits for generations to come, Alexandra Links said.
With the results-based financing provided by MCFA, the company aims to launch this new product offering in Mozambique and promote and sell biogas stoves to facilitate clean cooking in three southern provinces of the country.
This is the area where most of the company’s solar home system customers reside. The company aims to provide 2,000 clean cooking services, i.e. stoves and biodigesters, benefitting some 10,000 people in Mozambique by the end of 2028.
Comprehensive biogas kit
Manure breaks down anaerobically, producing biogas that can be used for clean cooking and thermal processes to meet household needs, while the remaining digestate is a biofertilizer that can replace chemical alternatives.
The company has established a consortium with Sistema.bio, which manufactures high-quality biodigesters.
The biogas kit includes a hybrid reactor, a stove, and all the accessories necessary for farmers to begin utilizing biogas within weeks of installation.
The kit is composed of prefabricated components optimized for reliability, packaging, transportation, and easy installation.
MCFA is also financing two other projects using Sistema.bio solutions.
ENGIE Energy Access has been successful in the off-grid solar sector in Mozambique. We see strong potential for ENGIE to expand its product portfolio by offering these advanced clean cooking products in collaboration with Sistema.bio, commented Kari Hämekoski, Senior Programme Manager at Nefco.
Very strong interest in MCFA2
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) received very strong interest in its second funding round to support access to and the scale-up of high-technology clean-cooking solutions in Sub-Saharan African countries.
The second call for proposals has advanced to the final application stage, which entails the evaluation of received business plans by external evaluators.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome by the end of August 2024.
