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Business news for Friday, October 30, 2020
Source: Ghana Times
2020-10-30
Estimated at 47.7 million euros, the project was funded by the European Union
The National Electricity Company of Burkina Faso (Sonabel) has inaugurated a 33 megapixel solar energy park in Zagtouli, in the central region of Burkina Faso.
Estimated at € 47.7 million, the project was funded by the European Union, the French Development Agency and the Government of Burkina Faso, and is part of the broader energy and infrastructure development agenda of the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
With around 129,000 panels and 32 inverters, the project is currently the largest solar plant in the West African subregion.
Currently, the country imports around 150 megawatts of energy from Ghana, representing 40 percent of its electricity needs.
Leading a group of journalists from neighboring West African countries around the facility as part of a working tour of the country, the facility’s Project Manager, Mr. Souleymane Konate, said the project was on the agenda. from President Kabore to provide affordable and affordable services. power to the people.
He said solar power makes up about five percent of Burkina Faso’s energy mix and is expected to increase Burkina Faso’s energy needs to about 40 percent in the next five years.
Konate said that as part of the president’s vision to industrialize the country, there was a need not only for energy, but also for one that was cheap, sustainable and affordable.
“It is in light of this that our president in 2016 commissioned the solar project,” he emphasized.
Konate said: “Promoting the use of solar energy as part of the country’s energy mix is projected to increase by five percent by 2020. This aims to address energy disparities between urban and rural areas and is in in line with this objective that a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Agency (ANEREE) be created ”.
He said that apart from the fact that solar energy was cheaper and also one of the cleanest forms of energy, its adoption was in line with adaptive programs for climate change.
“We expect to produce up to 600 megawatts by 2025. The current customer price per kilowatt is around 75f; When we manage to increase our capacities, we will be able to see a reduction in this cost for the consumer ”, he added.
The entire project was commissioned in June 2016 and inaugurated on September 27, 2017 with capacity to produce 33.7 megawatts, but its operation actually started in 2018.
There are 16 other solar energy projects underway and their completion would push the country to reach its 30 percent solar energy threshold.
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