The government of Burkina Faso has announced to have received US $55m loan approval from African Development Bank intended to fund the Yeleen solar power plant project.
The current project is part of Burkina Faso’s broader 2025 Solar Programme, known as “Yeleen” it has three components; (i) Development of photovoltaic plants (PV) connected to the interconnected national grid; (ii) Increase in the electricity distribution network; and (iii) Rural electrification by mini-grids (isolated) and individual solar systems.
The solar project will be implemented under the Bank’s Desert to Power ( DTP) Initiative. The overall cost is US $152m, the rest will be provided by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Union (EU), and Société Nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso (SONABEL).
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Project Details
The project which aims to boost national power supply, involves construction of four new 52 MWc photovoltaic (PV) plants and extend power distribution networks to connect 30,000 new households. It will also contribute to the avoidance of 48,000 tCO2eq emissions annually.
The project is estimated to take five years for completion and increase the country’s generation capacity by 15%. This will also greatly help to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel imports.
Dr. Daniel Schroth, the Bank’s Acting Director for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency said that the approval would further the Desert to Power Initiative’s momentum in line with commitments made
“With this project, we are making concrete progress on two of the five priority areas under the Desert to Power initiative which include adding new solar generation capacity and strengthening the transmission and distribution networks,” said Schroth.
