The Nigerien government has launched a call for tenders for the construction of the proposed 50 MW (67,000 hp) Gorou Banda Solar Plant on an 89.1-hectare site located adjacent to the existing 100 megawatts Gorou Banda Thermal Power Station, in Gorou Banda, in Commune V of the city of Niamey.
Also Read: Construction to begin at Gorou Banda Solar plant, Niger.
This is a pre-qualification process will allow for the selection of an independent power producer (IPP) who will design, finance, build, install and commission the power plant under the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model.
In this exercise, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of the World Bank Group, will act as the lead advisor through its public-private partnership (PPP) transaction advisory services department known as IFC Advisory.
Interested PPIs have until November 22, 2021, to submit their bids.
Project implementation inline the Scaling Solar programme
Gorou Banda Solar Plant project falls in line with the Scaling Solar programme which the government of Niger joined in June this year (2021).
Spearheaded by the IFC, the Scaling Solar programme aims to encourage private companies to invest in solar, to provide power to the country’s national grid, and to ensure rapid implementation (two years at most) of power projects, including through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Upon completion, the Gourou Banda solar plant will contribute to Niger’s energy policy, its goal to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2035. At present, the West African country has an installed capacity of 284 MW, all of which is generated from fossil fuels, according to Power Africa.
The power plant will also contribute to the government’s objective to achieve universal access to electricity.
