- AfDB approves €59.43m for two energy projects in Burkina Faso.
- Projects are expected to increase energy access to 60%.
- The funds will support two projects, including the Yeelen clean energy project.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €59.43 million loan to Burkina Faso. The loan will fund the provision of electricity access to 218,400 households in peri-urban and rural areas. The funds comprise a €41.60 million concessional loan and additional financing of €17.83 million. The AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (Sefa) will also support both projects with €130,000. The funds will be utilised via two government-led projects; the Electrification and Development of Electricity Connections Project (Pedecel) and the “Yeleen” project.
The government plans to implement the Pedecel project between October 2021 and December 2025. Under this project, the government of Burkina Faso plans to connect new peri-urban and rural households to the national electricity grid in 10 administrative regions. State utility company (Sonabel) will also introduce a payment model that allows low-income households to progressively pay their subscription fee, similar to the PAYG models used in SHS distribution.
The Yeleen project, on the other hand, aims to deploy four solar power plants in the country. The grid-connected solar PV plants will have a cumulative capacity of 51MWp and are planned to be located near Ouagadougou (42MWp), in Dori (6MWp), Diapaga (2MWp) and Gaoua (1MWp). In addition, the government also plans to deploy off-grid solar systems – mini-grids and solar home systems in unconnected areas. The AfDB had in 2019 provided €48.82 million in funding for the Yeelen project.
Burkina Faso estimates that these projects will increase energy access in the country. The government has set a target of achieving a 60 per cent electrification rate by 2027 from the current 22.5 per cent.