- Four firms to develop a 1.7 megawatt (MW) solar power project in Benin.
- The mini-grid project will provide electricity in 12 rural localities.
NEoT Offgrid Africa, an energy investment platform founded by France’s EDF (EDF.PA) and Paris-based asset manager Meridiam, recently reported working with two other companies to develop a 1.7 megawatt (MW) solar power project in Benin Republic. The other two companies are GDS International, a French energy group Générale du Solaire subsidiary, and West Africa energy transition firm ARESS.
The four firms will work together on a mini-grid project to provide electricity in 12 rural localities, including 3 MWh of battery capacity that will supply more than 5,000 homes and businesses with electricity, which should be completed within a year.
The idea is that it should be a pilot for regulated off-grid electrification in Benin, part of a region that historically has failed to capture its huge renewable resources because of inadequate investment.
The project represents an investment of 8.5 million euros ($8.79 million), co-financed by NEoT Offgrid Africa as a financial partner, and funds from the U.S. government’s main development fund, Millennium Challenge Corporation.