Competitive Edge: WESAF Energy Solutions

Q: What was the reason for founding your organization – what was the open niche you saw that could be addressed with a new product or service? What was the problem, or gap, or opportunity?

We decided to set up WESAF ENERGY as there is a glaring gap in the African energy matrix which is heavily dominated by Oil and Gas. This however has still left millions in Sub-Saharan Africa without access to power. And as the world transitions to clean energy in the wake of Climate Change bioenergy has a huge potential for the decarbonization of Africa’s current energy supply but also can provide significant capacity and also connect millions of grid communities with the power they have never had access to before. As well as power the clean fuel opportunity transcends mere energy access but provides an opportunity for Gender inclusion and economic resilience. Using Sugarcane as chief feedstock our innovative project design to produce bioethanol for rural and global use will create gender-specific employment and offer a diverse agri opportunity for farmers who have been restricted to the main cash crop of Cocao. WESAF is committed to bioenergy in Africa to drive new markets.

Q: Tell us about your organization. What do you do?

As mentioned above we are committed to the sustainable introduction of bioenergy to provide clean alternatives for Rural and energy-poor Africa. Ethanol as clean cooking is already valued at close to $20bn across Africa’s largest cities and this market will be even greater when we consider the rural populations. WESAF sees the introduction of an ethanol biorefinery in Cameroon as an opportunity to not only produce ethanol for local clean cooking use but to also produce SAF for airlines operating significant traffic into West Africa. the potential for this has been developed and we see a clear opportunity to create a holistic renewable energy model with tangible domestic and global impact. We are an ambitious company but have a partner base of some global leaders who support our plans and we believe to bring real energy justice standing on the shoulders of giants is one key advantage we have.

Q: What stage of development are you?

Other: Financing

Q: What do your technologies, products or services do and accomplish – how does it (they) work, who is it (they) aimed for?

We have opted for mature technologies that have decades of proven market application. The ethanol production process is a well-known and key component of the bioenergy matrix. In addition to this cogeneration has also been applied for many years. We shall produce bioethanol for clean cooking and other climate-focused applications in Africa. The real innovation of our project is in the design the integration of mature technologies for decentralised generation can have accelerated climate and social benefits. Reducing deforestation and emissions from domestic uses of biomass as well as chronic respiratory disease and mortality. Ethanol and other biofuels as a product are going to be a key contributor to global decarbonisation stratgey and we see our project design as a practical way to integrate bioenergy into the African energy matrix on a gradual scale. Our project design is highly flexible allowing us to us varied feedstock and energy inputs dependent on the local characteristics.

Q: Competitively, what gives your technology, product or service set an edge in cost or performance, sustainability, or any other aspect, that makes it stand out from the crowd, In short, what makes it transformative?

Although Industry scale Biofuel production is decades old it has yet to be deployed at any significant scale in West Africa. Our Plant will be the first in kind hybrid renewable energy plant in Cameroon. Our decision to use renewable energy to produce our fuels will ensure that our fuel will maintain a very low carbon intensity. Our project is wholly private as WESAF owns the 322-hectare land site where the biorefinery, generation equipment, and cane farms will be located. The location is in a rural zone and thus there is huge scope for the social impact which we have readily built into our business and operational model. Our project by design achieves several SDGs whilst remaining economically sound through the flexibility and demand for ethanol. We will provide energy access, gender inclusion, and climate action to name a few, and believe our holistic approach of decentralized renewables coupled with biofuel production can truly transform energy access in Africa.

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you have accomplished in the past 3 years?

1. 1. In 2019, we were nominated in the Renewable Energy Project of the year category at the Business Green Awards in London. The awards looked at some of the most innovative and impactful projects and had some of the energy majors in our category so we see this as definite recognition for our project design.
2. 2. A more significant milestone was the expression of interest in late 2020 by 2 private investors to discuss the financing of the project, these discussions are well underway.
3. 3. In Q1 of 2021, we also submitted our licensing application to the Cameroon government following presentations to the Regional government who have offered complete support for our project. Our project proposal is now at the ministerial level awaiting final approval.

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you will accomplish in the next 3 years?

1. 1. The first milestone is to close our funding and break ground on our maiden IEPA Park Project.
2. 2. The second milestone is to have the plant commissioned and begin operations.
3. 3. Lastly, we aim to begin discussions for the second project of similar size as we have access to enough land where we can farm sustainably without affecting biodiversity and replicate the climate, social and economic impacts we forecast for our project model. The more ethanol we can produce the greater chance there is of emerging markets like clean cooking consolidating any gains and becoming mainstays in the region. Greater capacity will also allow for other hydrocarbons to be produced for applications and transport further providing emissions reductions for the continent.

Q. Where can I learn more about WESAF Energy?

Click here to visit WESAF Energy’s website.