Niger commissions 30 MW solar plant

A French consortium featuring Akuo and Sagecom has built a 30 MW solar plant in Niger. The European Union, the French Development Bank and the government of Niger co-financed the installation.

Image: EC - Audiovisual Service, Photographe : Sia Kambou

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A French consortium made up of Akuo and Sagecom has finished building a 30 MW solar power plant in Gorou Banda, Niger. The Niger government had initially planned the project to have a capacity of 50 MW.

The facility, which is located about 10 kilometers from the capital, Niamey, was developed as part of improving the city's electricity supply under the aegis of the national electricity company, Nigelec.

Production will hjit 53 GWh in the first year and will be fed into the Nigelec network. The project secured €30 million. Nigelec said that the 55,608 polycrystalline modules were deployed on fixed structures.

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In 2020, Niamey had an electrification rate of 92.95% according to figures from the national statistics institute. However, the city suffers from load shedding, despite the extension of thermal production capacities in 2017. At the national level, electrification increases to 15.72% in 2020, with a large disparity between rural areas and urban areas.

To strengthen its generation capacities, Niger raised €129 million last year for solar energy projects from the African Development Bank.

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