Latest News
EDFI ElectriFI and REPP invest in renewable energy startup OnePower to bring energy access to 20,000 people in rural Lesotho.
The EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative (EDFI ElectriFI) and the UK-funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP) have each invested LSL 75m (~ EUR 4.4m) in equity and senior debt in a project-financed vehicle led by OnePower (1PWR), an innovative social enterprise with deep roots in Lesotho. [Maseru, 10 January 2022] EDFI ElectriFI, REPP, and 1PWR have […]
OnePower receives grant funding from UNDP and UNCDF for 10 mini-grid projects in Lesotho
OnePower is glad to announce that it was selected preferred bidder for receiving capital grants to develop 10 mini-grids in Lesotho’s rural areas. The mini-grid sites are Matsoaing, Thlanyaku, Sehlabathebe, Lebakeng, Tosing, Sebapala, Sehonghong, Mashai, Ribaneng, and Ketane. The Government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Energy and Meteorology (MEM) in partnership with the United […]
Neo 1 Project supports 21 vulnerable families across 3 communities
The Neo 1 Project is providing food aid to 21 vulnerable families across 3 communities that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The food aid was delivered according to standards of the World Food Program and all interactions adhered to coronavirus precautions as issued by the World Health Organization. The Neo 1 team is […]
Energy Access Fellow Phylicia’s work featured on Oregon State University News
OnePower is glad that the work of Energy Access Fellow Phylicia was featured in Oregon State University News. Phylicia’s contributions are critical to OnePower’s mission of expanding energy access in Lesotho. As part of her fellowship, Phylicia developed uGridNET, an important expansion of OnePower’s software tools which optimizes the layout of minigrid distribution infrastructure based […]
OnePower wins USAID’s Power Africa Off-grid Project grant
1PWR is excited to be a part of the solution to provide crucial electricity supplies to front line health care facilities in Lesotho working to respond to the COVID 19 situation in addition to ongoing TB and HIV/AIDs patient services. Our team is working together with Partners in Health to provide new solar power services […]
Neo 1 Project Supports Reconstruction of Family Home
The Neo 1 Project is supporting the reconstruction of a home that was destroyed during a recent storm. The house belongs to a community member in Ha Ramarothole, a widow looking after 8 children. After hearing about this incident and the context, the Neo 1 Consortium quickly decided to fully finance the reconstruction of the […]
OnePower signed Lesotho’s first mini-grid concession, a major milestone for rural electrification in the country
In December 2019, OnePower signed a mini-grid concession agreement for Ha Makebe, a village in the Berea District of Lesotho. This signing of this agreement is a major milestone for rural electrification in the country, marking the start of testing mini-grid business models in Lesotho and paving the way for many more such projects to […]
Our Nomination of Covington & Burling for the TrustLaw Lawyer of the Year Award 2019
We are more than glad to have nominated David Miles, Jamie Tribe, Nancy Chu, Hannah Berry, Karolina Reiter, Richard Oliver, and Sinead Oryszczuk of Covington & Burling for the TrustLaw Lawyer of the Year Award 2019. They were the best lawyers that we have worked with in our careers and we were extremely impressed both […]
OnePower awarded $600,000 by USTDA for project preparation studies on the Neo 1 Project
We are glad to announce that OnePower signed a grant agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for project preparation studies for the Neo 1 project. The signing ceremony was held on May 23 in Maseru with US Ambassador Rebecca Gonzales, OnePower CEO Matthew Orosz, and former Minister of Energy and current Minister […]
Ha Makebe Pilot Goes Live!
We are glad to announce that our pilot mini-grid at Ha Makebe has gone live, selling 248 ZAR worth of electricity in its first week of operation. The Ha Makebe mini-grid pilot is the first of its kind in Lesotho, bringing electricity to the community through a solar-battery energy system, a new distribution grid and […]
Farewell to ATS
After more than 10 years, OnePower is leaving its incubation space at the Appropriate Technology Services in Khubetsoana. As a measure of our gratitude to ATS over all these years, OnePower celebrated with a farewell party for ATS staff. We especially want to thank ATS Chief Engineer Kopano Tsenoli for his ongoing support.
Move to New Headquarters
OnePower is moving its headquarters from Khubetsoana to the Thetsane Industrial district in Maseru. Our new location is a large-scale industrial building that comes with hundreds of square meters of production space as well as office space and board rooms.