Global energy business Puma Energy has acquired a 49% stake in MBHE Group, a company that provides renewable energy solutions to customers across Southern Africa and owns its own high-quality renewable energy assets across the continent.

The transaction aligns with Puma Energy’s purpose of energising communities and helping industrial and commercial customers prepare for the future of energy, and decarbonise their operations, with fully integrated renewable energy solutions.

MBHE is an industry leader in the design, supply, installation and operation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery technology catering for numerous sectors including retail centres, manufacturing, hospitals, heavy industry and mining.

The partnership with Puma Energy will help drive expansion by providing access to new customers and unlocking financial facilities to fully develop its pipeline of projects.

Key growth opportunities across Southern Africa include the installation of solar PV, battery energy storage solutions and off-grid solar PV plants.

The partnership will also create more opportunity for MBHE to secure power purchase agreements (PPAs) to develop projects and benefit from long-term PPAs.

“The partnership between Puma Energy and MBHE enables us to maintain our aggressive growth strategy, offering energy as a service.

“The unique differentiator is not only being able to provide holistic solar and energy storage solutions with strong technical and financial support, but also accessing a much larger market through Puma’s existing footprint and network of commercial and industrial clients into sub-Saharan Africa,” says MBHE FD Werner van Wyk.

“Puma Energy is committed to its purpose of energising communities and helping our customers and partners to reduce their carbon emissions and prepare for the future of energy. Our partnership with MBHE will help realise that vision across Southern Africa.

“Many of Puma Energy’s industrial and commercial customers are seeking renewable energy solutions and MBHE already has an impressive pipeline of projects which will drive growth over the next few years,” adds Puma Energy head of solar for Africa Shamsher Singh.