Global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power and emerging market private equity firm Actis have launched a Pan-African renewable-energy generation platform, Lekela Power, which aims to provide between 700 MW and 900 MW of wind and solar power across Africa by 2018.

Mainstream said in a statement on Tuesday that Lekela would operate in a similar fashion to the duo’s existing partnerships, which would see Mainstream taking responsibility for the full end-to-end management of the projects, including site identification, project development, construction management and the operations and maintenance of plants.

Mainstream last week announced the financial close and the start of construction on three wind farms in South Africa, which would would become part of Lekela’s portfolio.

The Northern Cape-based projects had a combined capacity of 360 MW and were awarded to Mainstream as part of government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

They were expected to reach commercial operation at the beginning of next year.

Mainstream also had a pipeline of other projects across Africa, including the 225 MW Ayitepa wind project, in Ghana, which would be transferred to the Lekela platform at financial close.

“We are delighted to be working on our third collaboration with our financial partner Actis, which, once again, draws on Mainstream’s portfolio of wind and solar projects and our record delivering them into commercial operation on time and [within] budget,” commented Mainstream onshore procurement, construction and operations MD Barry Lynch.