- Africa Ren is set to commence the construction of a solar power plant in Burkina Faso.
- The 38MWp plant is set to be completed next year.
- Kodeni Solar will supply the power from the plant to state utility company Sonabel under a 25-year PPA.
French company Africa Ren is set to commence the Kodeni Solar power plant construction near Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. The plant, which is expected to be completed next year, will have a capacity of 38MWp. The financing for the plant will b provided by the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) and its Access to Energy Fund (AEF), which the Dutch government provides. In addition, the Interact Climate Change Facility (ICCF) and the Seed Capital Assistance Facility (SCAF), an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), also provided financing for the development phase of the project.
The EPC for the power plant will be Ineo by Equan, a subsidiary of Engie. The plant, when completed, is set to be one of the largest solar PV plants in the country, larger than the 34MWp Nagréongo solar plant currently being developed by GreenYellow.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Energy, Bachir Ismaël Ouedraogo, noted that the Kodeni Solar project is “essential for the energy autonomy of Burkina Faso and shows that the government’s PPPs policy is starting to pay off. He added that the country will add over 500MW capacity before 2025 at an extremely competitive price.
The Kodeni Solar plant will supply the energy produced to the national grid managed by the Société nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso (SONABEL)under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Africa Ren estimates that the plat will power about 115,000 households and reduce emissions by up to 41,000 tons of CO2 annually.