Aurion Capital Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gabonese Republic and the Société d’Énergie et d’Eau du Gabon (SEEG) to develop Panthera Power, a natural gas-fired electricity generation program designed to strengthen power supply in Greater Libreville and support the country’s industrial development. Signed on September 8, 2026, the agreement establishes a framework for developing an integrated energy infrastructure platform with a planned generation capacity of between 150 MW and 450 MW. The program will combine gas-fired power plants with the gas supply, transmission and distribution infrastructure needed to support reliable electricity generation and delivery.
The total financing for Panthera Power is expected to exceed $1 billion. Aurion Capital Holdings and its partners will lead the development and financing of the initiative, with no financial commitment from the Gabonese state. The MoU was signed by Philippe Tonangoye, Gabon’s Minister of Universal Access to Water and Energy, on behalf of the government; Steeve Saurel Legnongo, Managing Director of SEEG, on behalf of the national utility; and Ali Diallo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurion Capital Holdings.
An integrated approach to Gabon’s energy needs
Panthera Power is intended to address rising electricity demand from households while providing the reliable and competitively priced energy required to expand local industrial processing.Rather than focusing solely on power generation, the initiative adopts an integrated approach that connects gas supply to electricity production and distribution. This model is designed to address infrastructure requirements across the energy value chain and support the development of a more dependable electricity system.
The project aligns with Gabon’s National Energy Compact, published in June 2026 under the Mission 300 initiative. The national plan targets 1,100 MW of installed generation capacity by 2030 and identifies an investment requirement of $4.169 billion over the 2026–2030 period. Private-sector participation is expected to account for $2 billion of that amount. Against this backdrop, Panthera Power represents a proposed private-sector contribution to Gabon’s broader efforts to expand electricity generation and attract investment into strategic infrastructure.
Private capital and international partnerships
Aurion Capital Holdings will act as the program’s sponsor, overseeing its development, financial structuring and the formation of an industrial and financial consortium. Its responsibilities also include coordinating feasibility work, technical assessments and environmental and social impact studies. The pre-feasibility study has been entrusted to Global Infrastructure Advisors (GIA), an independent London-based firm specializing in the development and financing of infrastructure projects in emerging markets. GIA’s experience includes work associated with West African Energy’s 300 MW gas-fired power plant in Senegal.
SEEG has been identified as the prospective buyer of the electricity generated by Panthera Power and will serve as the program’s technical counterpart on grid integration, interconnection, power evacuation and operating requirements.A joint steering committee comprising SEEG and Aurion Capital Holdings will supervise the studies. Their findings will be submitted to the Gabonese state and SEEG for joint approval before negotiations on definitive project agreements begin. The MoU therefore establishes a development framework, with further technical assessments, approvals and contractual negotiations required before the program can advance to implementation.
Strengthening Gabon’s international investment ties
The initiative comes amid expanding economic relations between Gabon, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, two markets in which Aurion Capital Holdings maintains a presence. On February 6, 2026, Gabon and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Abu Dhabi. The agreement seeks to reduce trade barriers and facilitate investment in sectors including logistics and renewable energy. Bilateral non-oil trade exceeded $320 million in 2025, more than doubling its 2021 level.
Trade between Gabon and the United States also reached nearly $750 million in goods in 2025. In July of that year, Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was among five African heads of state received at the White House for discussions focused on trade and investment.
For Aurion Capital, Panthera Power provides an opportunity to bring together international capital, industrial expertise and local infrastructure needs in support of Gabon’s development priorities. “Gabon is the starting point of Aurion Capital’s ambitions in Africa,” said Ali Diallo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurion Capital Holdings. “We are bringing here what we have built elsewhere: a proven track record in investment fund management and public-private partnerships in the United States, and a footprint in the Gulf and Asia that gives us access to private, sovereign and industrial capital. Energy is the foundation of the continent’s sustainable development: without reliable and competitive power generation, no industrialization can take hold.”
A broader African infrastructure strategy
Beyond Gabon, Aurion Capital Holdings is assessing investment opportunities in energy, mining and infrastructure across several African countries. Souleymane Diallo, President for Africa at Aurion Capital, said the country’s natural gas resources and political commitment to improving electricity supply made it a compelling market for the proposed initiative. “Gabon has the gas resources and the political will needed to transform its electricity supply,” he said. “Aurion Capital is committed as sponsor of an integrated program, from upstream gas through to distribution. We are also assessing other investment opportunities in energy, mining and infrastructure across several African countries.” The proposed program forms part of Aurion Capital’s wider industrial and energy infrastructure strategy, which is managed from the United Arab Emirates, with planned expansion into Qatar and West Virginia, where the group supports large-scale technology and industrial investments.
About Aurion Capital
Aurion Capital is a U.S. investment holding company active in venture capital, public-private partnerships, innovation and strategic industries such as energy, critical minerals and infrastructure. An investment partner to the governments of Qatar and the United States and to LG Electronics, the group operates on four continents through its subsidiaries and its regulated investment funds in the United States and in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). With two regional headquarters in Silicon Valley and in Dubai, near the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and business offices in Phoenix, Seoul and Doha, the group supports emerging economies and is expanding into French-speaking markets, with representative offices in France, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
Aurion Capital combines institutional capital management, strategic alliances, company building and sovereign partnerships to connect capital, technology, industrial players and international markets. Its platforms span technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), financial services, healthcare, sports and entertainment, agribusiness, minerals, and power generation.
Aurion Capital has a portfolio of funds representing more than $300 million in assets under management, and industrial projects underway valued at $2 billion. Aurion Capital is the parent company of NovaWave Capital, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm with $100 million in assets under management, backed by LG Electronics and by government partners in West Virginia, Arizona and Nevada. Aurion Capital is also the shareholder and General Partner of BYL Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital fund with $70 million in assets under management.
