A concession agreement for the construction of four solar PV power plants in Benin has been signed. The agreement was signed between GreenYellow, Egnon Consulting, and the Benin government.
The power plants have a total capacity of 50 MWp. One of the facilities, with a capacity of 15MWp, will be situated in Parakou, Borgou division. The second facility dubbed Bohicon solar power plant will be built in the Zou department. As the first solar power plant, the Bohicon facility will have a capacity of 15MWp.
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The remaining two, with a 10MPw capacity each, will be located in Djougou, and Natitingou. Both locations are in the Atakora division, northwest of Benin.
The appointment of GreenYellow and Egnon Consulting for the project
GreenYellow and Egnon Consulting were selected for the project by Millennium Challenge Corporation. This was after a competitive bidding process that was carried out in partnership with the Millennium Challenge Account-Benin II (MCA-Benin II).
The consortium will now be able to concentrate on the planning of the works, which are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023 thanks to the signing of the concession agreement.
Otmane Hajji, head of IPP, stated that upon completion the four 50MW solar PV power plants in Benin will contribute to the country’s energy transition. This Mr. Hajji explained that will be done by meeting its goals of decarbonizing its energy mix with the production of green, local, and competitive energy.
Initially, the project was launched in 2019.
Financing for the construction of the four solar PV power plants in Benin
The initiative is supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group subsidiary. Proparco, the branch of the French Development Agency (AFD) group, will also support the initiative.
Under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), the energy produced by the project will be sold to the Société béninoise d’énergie électrique (SBEE). It is said that the new plants will boost Benin’s installed capacity which currently stands at 342MW.
