Mali: Electrification, the transitional President goes all out to equip the country with Solar Power Plants
In Mali, the electricity supply has been deteriorating for some time now. With power outages becoming increasingly frequent in the country’s major cities, the national economy will take a serious hit if a solution is not found promptly.
To address the situation, for the past few weeks, the Malian government, led by the President of the Transition, Colonel Assimi Goita, has been installing solar panels in strategic cities across the country.
Following installations in Sanankoroba and Safo in the Kati circle, on Saturday, June 1st, it was the turn of the Bougouni region, specifically in Tiakadougou-Dialakoro, to welcome the presidential delegation for the launch of the first phase of a 50 MWp solar power plant, as part of the planned 100 MW.
For this first phase of the project, a 50 MWp plant will be built by the Emirati company specializing in the field, AMEA Power, on a 120-hectare site. According to the Minister of Energy and Water, Ms. Bintou Camara, the work will take 12 months at a cost of approximately 45 billion FCFA.
She emphasizes that the plant will be connected to the national power grid through the 150 KV line from Sélingué-Sirakoro as well as the lines from Sanankoroba and Safo, which will allow Mali not only to make significant progress in the energy mix with a substantial share of renewable energy but also to optimize the cost of electricity production by improving supply through a clean energy source.
It should be noted that the memorandum of understanding for this project, covering the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the facilities on a BOOT basis, similar to the Sanakoroba plant, for a 100 MWp photovoltaic plant in two phases, was signed between Mali and the Emirati company, AMEA Power LLC, in 2018 as part of the UAE-Mali joint commission.
