Sheffield battery firm MOPO powers into the Congo on £2.6m investment

A Sheffield rent-a-battery firm is targeting 320,000 off-grid users in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mobile Power Ltd - MOPO - is already operating in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad, and Uganda where it has rented 14m batteries developed in Sheffield.

Now it has received £2.6m to expand in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

The firm rents solar-charged batteries to people who have limited access to power. One model is for lighting and phone charging. A larger one is for e-motorbikes and replaces small petrol generators.

MOPO CEO Chris Longbottom said: "Whilst the DRC represents a vast opportunity, our aggressive expansion strategy doesn’t stop there but includes product development and scaling up across Africa. With the right funding in place, we can leverage our leading position in Africa to accelerate universal energy access."

The investment is from Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa which is managed by Nefco, a Scandinavian ‘green’ bank. It is its second deal with MOPO, after funding a launch in Liberia in 2022.

MOPO is based on Newhall Business Park, Newhall Road, Attercliffe.