- The Niger government has shortlisted 6 IPPs for the Gorou Banda solar project
- The 50MWp plant is to be constructed 10km from Niamey.
The government of the Niger Republic has chosen six independent power producers (IPPs) in the first phase of the tender process for this Gorou Banda solar project. Scatec Solar, a Norwegian company active in the African renewable energy market with solar power plants in Egypt and South Africa, is one of these IPPs. Both Elsewedy Electric and Infinity Power Holding are competing with the group led by Raymond Carlsen. GreenYellow (a subsidiary of the Casino Group) and Voltalia, both French firms, are also running as well as Nareva Holding, owned by the Moroccan private equity fund Al Mada.
The chosen IPP will construct the 50 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant ten kilometres from Niamey, the country’s capital. This project is carried out under the Scaling Solar program. This initiative, which is being implemented by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group subsidiary in charge of private sector financing, aims to encourage private companies to invest in solar energy.
The plant is set to increase Niger’s installed capacity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. According to Power Afrique, the country currently has an installed capacity of 322MW mainly generated from fossil sources.