Plans are underway for the construction of two power plants in the municipality of Diema in Mali. One will be solar, the other thermal. The projects are proposed by Pal 4 Energie Solaire, an independent power producer (IPP) based in the United Arab Emirates. The company specializes in negotiating, aggregating, and procuring electricity, solar and natural gas in the energy deregulation markets as to provide optimal energy products.
A concession agreement has recently been signed between Pal 4 Solar Energy’s Managing Director Muhammad Zafar and Sambou Wagué, Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water. The UAE company intends to set up a photovoltaic solar power plant with a capacity of 100MWp. Pal 4 Énergie Solaire will operate its plant over a period of 25 years.
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Construction of transmission lines
The project also provides for the construction of medium and high-voltage lines that will connect the city of Diéma to the capital Bamako. The construction of these lines should enable several localities to be connected to Mali’s national power grid. According to Sambou Wagué, Mali’s Minister of Energy and Water, the work will soon start and take a period of 12 to 14 months. Like other African countries, Mali now intends to rely more on PPIs for the construction of its power generation facilities.
In January 2020, the government granted a concession to Amea Power. The UAE-based IPP will build a 50MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Tiakadougou-Dialakoro, a small town of 7,000 inhabitants near the capital Bamako. The company will finance, build and operate the Tiakadougou-Dialakoro solar power plant over a 25-year period.
