From pv magazine France
The Malian government has approved the construction of a 93 MW solar photovoltaic power plant in Touna, in southern Mali.
The €106 million solar facility will be built by UAE-based independent power producer Phanes Group and Welink Energy. Construction work is expected to take 18 months.
The electricity generated by the solar park will be sold under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA), by the company's local unit, Phanes Energy Mali, to state-owned power utility Energie du Mali (EDM) at an unspecified price.
With this new project, the Malian government hopes to increase its energy supply by adding a clean and affordable source of energy. The country has recently embarked on a series of solar projects to increase energy production while lowering the average cost of electricity.
In November, French independent power producer Akuo commissioned a 50 MW solar plant in Kita, about 180km west of Bamako, in the Kayes region of Mali. The €77 million PV plant is Mali's first IPP solar project. Akuo Energy secured a 28-year power purchase agreement for the array from Energie du Mali in October 2015.
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Moreover, UAE-based energy producer Pal4 Energie Solaire signed a contract in February for the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant in the municipality of Diéma, in the west of Mali.
The government of Mali aims to ramp up the country's share of renewable energy in the national electricity mix to 25% by 2033, in addition to a 61% rural electrification target.
According to the latest statistics published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Mali only had 20 MW of cumulative installed solar capacity by the end of 2019.
*The article was amended on December 8 to specify that Welink Energy is a partner of the Phanes Group in the project.
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