Somalia seeks consultants to support grid expansion plan, PV minigrids

The Somali Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is accepting expressions of interest from consultancies to support efforts to repair and expand the power grid in Bossaso.

According to the tender documents, the consultancy services will include an assessment of Somalia’s existing electricity supply, network and electric power infrastructure, as well as a feasibility study to repair and expand the Bossaso power grid project. Bossaso is one of Somalia’s largest cities, on the northern coast of the country.

The consultancy work is expected to last five months. It has a scheduled commencement date of May 2024. The project will be funded via a grant from the African Development Bank.

The deadline for expressions of interest is March 2, 2024. Initially, the government will come up with shortlist of six consulting firms.

As part of its 2020-24 National Development Plan, the Somali government has set a target of expanding energy access from 15% to 45%. Last year, a team of researchers said that Somalia’s installed PV capacity stood at 41 MW, accounting for 11.9% of its total energy generation.