- A new company aiming to deploy off-grid renewable energy solutions in Benin Republic, Les Soleils du Bénin, will carry out €8.5 million (US$8.8 million) of electrification projects within a year.
- The mini-grid site will be operated by ARESS 0nce the systems are commissioned.
A new company aiming to deploy off-grid renewable energy solutions in Benin Republic, Les Soleils du Bénin, will carry out €8.5 million (US$8.8 million) of electrification projects within a year. Three partners have launched the company: investment platform NEoT Offgrid Africa, GDS International, French solar PV company-Générale du Solaire subsidiary and locally-headquartered solar company ARESS. They will start by working on rural electrification projects in 12 localities, aiming to install 1.7MW of solar PV and 3MWh of battery storage within 12 months. The companies stated that the projects would create autonomous, connected, and environmentally friendly mini-grids.
The project partners were awarded contracts through a competitive tender process hosted by the implementation office set up to administer funding for Benin electric power programmes designed to lift people out of poverty- the MCA-Benin II Offgrid Clean Energy Facility (OCEF). This office was created after a 2015 agreement between the US foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Benin government, with the US committing US$391 million and Benin US$30 million.
NEoT Offgrid Africa co-financed Les Soleils du Bénin’s €8.5 million project cost, with GDS International to act as a developer. The solar-storage mini-grids will be co-constructed by GDS and ARESS. The mini-grid site will be operated by ARESS 0nce the systems are commissioned. The NEoT Offgrid Africa director, Idris Tayebi, said: “This MCA-Benin II program, in collaboration with local authorities in Benin, provides a structured regulatory framework to promote investment from private players such as NEoT Offgrid Africa”.