• Qair secures MCB financing for Stor'Sun 3 solar project
• Plant combines 16.7 MW solar with 42.5 MW storage
• Commissioning set 2026 under 25-year power agreement

Independent power producer Qair announced on Wednesday, Feb. 11, that it had signed a financing agreement with MCB Group for its Stor'Sun 3 solar project.

Located in Balaclava, the project combines a 16.7 MW photovoltaic plant with a 42.5 MW battery storage system. The investment is valued at more than 380 million rupees (approximately $8.3 million). The project is backed by a 25-year power purchase agreement with the Central Electricity Board, with commissioning scheduled for the second half of 2026.

The MCB deal follows financing secured for Stor'Sun 1 and 2. On Aug. 7, 2025, the State Bank of Mauritius confirmed its participation in financing those two hybrid plants, which represent a combined estimated investment of 4.5 billion rupees (approximately $98 million). The two installations are designed to supply around 40 MWac of renewable energy, with a stable output capacity of at least 12 hours per day. The third installation is structured similarly.

The broader Stor'Sun program dates back to March 1, 2023, when Qair signed four power purchase agreements with the Central Electricity Board for hybrid solar installations totaling 60 MWac. The total announced investment at that time exceeded 7 billion rupees.

Qair has operated in Mauritius since 2008 and already runs a 10 MW wind farm and solar plants totaling 25.3 MW on the island. The company is also developing projects elsewhere in Africa, including Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Morocco and the Seychelles. It operates 65 MW of installed capacity on the continent, has 154 MW in the financing phase and is developing a portfolio of more than 2 GW.

Abdoullah Diop