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A 50MW solar plant west of Bamako in Mali is now the largest operating plant in West Africa.
A flagship project of the Akuo Group, the Kita solar plant in the Kayes region injected its first kilowatt-hour into Mali’s power grid in March 2020.
The plant now meets the electricity needs of 120,000 Malian households and will reduce CO2 emissions in the country by more than 52,000 metric tons per year.
The Kita solar plant is not only actively increasing the country’s electrification rate, it is an essential component of economic and social development.
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The project also brings the country, a signatory to the 1995 Kyoto Protocol, closer to its national renewable energy targets by 2030.
SE4All says that Mali has set a target of 87% access to energy by 2030, with 100% access to clean kitchen solutions. The country also aims to improve the share of renewable energy sources in the electricity mix to 37% by 2030.
The successful commissioning of the plant is also a step towards reducing the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, the use of firewood from the country’s forests and hydroelectric power, which is currently threatened by climate change.
Large hydroelectric power generation represents 51% of the country’s installed capacity, but the rains and hydrological changes are affecting generation and the country is increasingly turning to oil plants.
In addition to providing energy, the solar plant also incorporates an agricultural and social dimension. The development of a five hectare parcel adjacent to the solar plant has provided a growing area for those who live near the Kita solar plant.
The Akuo Foundation teams are training in techniques to improve organic agriculture. The construction of the solar plant generated up to 350 local jobs. Long-term jobs for women are 120, but will gradually expand to 200.
Solar energy for Mali by Malians
Funding for the plant was provided by the West African Development Bank, Banque National du Développement Agricole, the Dutch development finance company FMO and Emergin African Infrastructure Fund, which is an investment fund managed by Ninety One.
PASH Global is Akuo’s co-shareholder in the project. Kofi Owusu Bempah and Vine Mwense, founders of PASH, said: “We are delighted to have co-invested a 49.9 percent stake in this prestigious project, the first of its kind in Mali.”
Completed by a predominantly African construction staff, the Kita solar plant is now being run by an exclusively Malian team, according to the Akuo Group press release.
Pierre-Antoine Berthold, Managing Director of Akuo Energy Africa: “Thanks to the recognized expertise of the Akuo Groups, which covers all production technologies and the many additional benefits that are provided to local populations through the types of projects that We design, today we want to accelerate our development in Africa with a medium-term goal of having plants that generate one gigawatt of energy from renewable energy sources. “
An IRENA renewable energy readiness assessment says that less than a fifth of Mali’s rural population has access to decentralized renewable energy, crucial for socio-economic development. He posits that generation from biomass could reach 2.2 GW by 2030, but solar and wind power have the potential to contribute even more.
