Two years after the inauguration of the Gorou Banda Solar plant in Niamey, Niger, construction works are finally set to begin thanks to the Council of Ministers of Niger who adopted a bill that decares the clean energy project “public utility; a bill that allows the state of Niger to have the space necessary for the installation of the equipment of the photovoltaic plant, in accordance with the texts in force.
The construction of the Gorou Banda Solar plant will be located on an 89.1-hectare site. These completed projects will, among other things, make it possible to secure the electricity supply to the Niger River area, reduce its cost in the country and facilitate electricity exchanges between the other member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
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The future solar park initially planned to supply 20 MWp to the electricity network in Niger but will have a capacity of between 30 MWp and 60 MWp.A draft decree declaring of public utility the construction operations of high-voltage lines for the transmission of 330kv electric power (border of Nigeria-Zabori-Niamey-border of Burkina Faso and Zabori-border of Benin), and the post-high and medium voltage 330/132 / 33KV from Zabori, was also adopted during the same meeting.
The construction of the Niamey photovoltaic solar power station will cost the Nigerien State US$70 million. Two institutions are already supporting the project, notably the French Development Agency (AFD) with a loan promise of 23.5 million euros and the European Union with 5 million euros. This financing will cover part of the construction work but also the operation and maintenance of the future solar power plant over a 2-year period. However, the government of Niger estimates that work on the project could last 18 months. The solar power plant should be commissioned in the second half of 2021.
