Gambia

The Economic Community of West African States should prioritize the development of solar PV to meet surging energy demand over the next 30 years, according to a newly published study.

The country’s power utility has completed the pre-selection process to seek developers for a 20 MW solar project in the Banjul region. The project will feature up to four PV plants and will be developed under the national Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project.

The solar park will be connected to the Soma substation, a piece of grid infrastructure expected to increase electricity access in the country to 60%. The project will add to 30 MW of other solar facilities under development in the West African nation.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is seeking proposals for two IPP solar projects with capacities of 7 MW and 3.5 MW, with the larger plant to host some storage capacity. The projects will be awarded PPAs with the Gambia National Water & Electricity Company (NAWEC).

The World Bank is helping Gambian utility NAWES find a consultant for the nation’s first large-scale scheme, to be developed under the national Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project. The solar plant may have a capacity of up to 20 MW, and could be linked with a storage system.

Gambia’s National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) has issued a tender to select companies to conduct feasibility studies to assess the country’s potential for solar and hybridized PV projects in mini-grids and close to existing power plants.