Senegal launches tender for 133 mini PV plants

Senegal‘s Rural Electrification Agency (ASER) has launched a tender for the construction of 133 mini solar power plants aimed at powering 177 rural villages located mostly in the eastern part of the country.

The projects are being financed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD).

Interested developers will have time until January 19 to submit their offers. 

The Senegalese government is targeting to reach universal access to electricity by 2025. This is expected to be achieved by expanding the existing power grid and adding around 180 MW of off-grid generation capacity. Around 88% of the interested remote villages will be electrified through the grid expansion.

In order to support the development of off-grid solar, the Senegalese government introduced in September a VAT exemption for PV products when connected to an off-grid project.

According to the latest statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Senegal had an installed PV capacity of 134 MW at the end of 2019. Most of this capacity comes from grid-connected large scale PV.