- Eiffage RMT consortium has obtained the land for the construction fo a 25MW power plant in Pobè, Benin Republic.
- This plant will be constructed in 15 months and will provide power to about 180,000 people.
- This project will help Benin reduce its CO2 emissions by 23,000 tons per annum over the next 25 years.
The Mayor of Illoulofin Community in Pobè, Benin Republic, Dinan Simon has handed over a 96-hectare plot of land for the construction of a 25 MWp photovoltaic solar power plant. This plant will be constructed by Eiffage RMT consortium and will add 35GWh of power yearly to the grid providing energy to about 180,000 people.
Construction of the solar power plant will take 15 months and will cost €60.85 million provided within a partnership framework between the European Union (EU), the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Société béninoise d’énergie électrique (Sbee). According to the EU, its contribution amount to €10.35 million, the AFD will provide a €50 million sovereign loan and the Sbee will provide €0.5 million euros in equity. The second component of this project will see the modernisation of the information system of the Société béninoise d’énergie électrique (Defissol). This will see the deployment and introduction of an electronic payment mechanism through prepaid meters.
This project is one of the initial projects of the Government Action Programme (GAP) initiated by the President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon. it is also part of the Prever I programme launched in 2017 which aims to promote a green economy in the country. Financing for this project is provided by the EU in partnership with AFD la Sbee and private sector stakeholders. The Prever I programme has a portfolio of €138.52 million.