Legendre to build 50 MW solar plant in Mali

From pv magazine France.

Legendre Energie, a subsidiary of the French group Legendre, has signed a 25-year concession agreement with the Malian Ministry of Economy and Finance for the construction of a 50 MW solar park in Fana, in western Mali’s Koulikoro region.

Construction on the facility is planned to start next year, with the start of commercial operations being planned for 2023.

The plant is expected to generate 87 GWh per year of electricity and to feed the network of the country’s state-owned utility, Electricité du Mali (EDM).

The power plant will be connected through the Fana (150 kV) substation located 1.3km from the project site. For the construction and operation of the park, Legendre Energie has set up the special purpose vehicle Fana Solar Power.

The investment in the project will reach approximately €50 million. According to Alousséni Sanou, minister of economy and finance of Mali, the implementation of the project “will help to cope with the ever-increasing demand for electricity, by increasing the electricity production capacity of the interconnected national grid.”

Mali had reached an installed PV power of 70 MW at the end of 2020, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Most of this capacity is represented by a 50 MW plant built by French independent power producer Akuo.