Inside the Kapoeta-Nimule project: from 72 MWp of solar to a 220 kV grid connection
Project: Kapoeta–Nimule 72 MWp Solar PV & Grid Infrastructure | Upper Nile Cement | Republic of South Sudan | Full EPC delivered by ICCO | Completed 29 July 2025
The Kapoeta–Nimule project is a complete power system, not only a solar farm. It generates electricity, raises it through three voltage levels and delivers it to the high-voltage grid. International Consolidated Contractors Offshore SAL (ICCO) delivered every part of that chain under a single EPC contract, completed on 29 July 2025.
| Component | Size | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Solar PV plant | 72 MWp | Grid-connected utility-scale generation |
| 220/132 kV substation | 2 × 100 MVA | Line bays, protection, control, metering, SCADA |
| 132/33 kV substation | 2 × 50 MVA | HV/MV switchgear, protection and control |
| 132 kV transmission line | ~18 km double-circuit | Power evacuation, with OPGW and telecoms |
| 33 kV MV network | ~47 km | Distribution and interconnection facilities |
| Grid integration systems | Plant-wide | SCADA, telecoms, protection, testing, commissioning |
The solar field
The 72 MWp PV plant covers both civil and electrical works. Civil works include site preparation, roads, drainage, foundations and mounting structures. Electrical works include modules, DC cabling, inverters and transformers.
South Sudan’s equatorial climate shapes the design. High temperatures reduce module output and stress equipment, and seasonal dust and heavy rain each impose their own demands on ratings, cooling, cleaning, drainage and erosion control.
Raising the voltage
The 132/33 kV substation, rated 2 × 50 MVA, gathers power at medium voltage and steps it up to 132 kV for transmission. Its HV/MV switchgear, protection and control systems manage that first stage of evacuation.
The 220/132 kV substation, rated 2 × 100 MVA, forms the interface with the high-voltage grid. Line bays, protection, control, metering and SCADA systems are all part of the scope.
Carrying the power
About 18 km of double-circuit 132 kV overhead line carries the plant’s output, with optical ground wire (OPGW) providing both protection and a telecommunications path. About 47 km of 33 kV network provides distribution and interconnection facilities across the site and its host facilities.
The control layer
SCADA gives operators a live view of the plant, from individual inverters to substation breakers. Protection systems detect faults and isolate them within fractions of a second. Telecommunications links carry the data and commands between the plant, the substations and the grid operator.
Together these systems allow a facility spread over many kilometres to run as one coordinated power station.
International Consolidated Contractors Offshore SAL (ICCO) delivered this project as a single EPC contract — design, engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning — through to energization and handover. Throughout this article, the contractor, the delivery partner and the EPC contractor refer to ICCO.
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