Pâ solar power plant project in Burkina Faso is set to benefit from close to a US$ 34M loan which is to be disbursed by the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a member of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).
According to reports, EAIF expects to release the funds in the second quarter of this year.
The entire Pâ solar power plant project is funded partly by EAIF with an 80% stake of the entire project’s costs while the independent power producer (IPP) Urbasolar, a subsidiary of the Swiss Axpo Group is providing the remaining 20%.
The Project Team
Urbasolar is implementing the Pâ solar power plant project in partnership with Projet Production Solaire (PPS), a local company that will hold a minority stake in the future operating vehicle of the plant. The two partners won the concession through a tender process with the state-owned company SONABEL (Société nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso).
“We are pleased to be able to work alongside the government of this West African Country and SONABEL to achieve the goal of generating 200 MW of energy via solar power plants by the end of the year, a strategy set out by Dr. Bachir Ismael Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries,” said Arnaud Mine, the president of Urbasolar.
Overview of the Project
Built on a 35-hectare site located near the town of Pâ, approximately 250 km southeast of Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso, the facility whose construction work was officially launched in February 2020 will have a capacity of 30 MWp upon completion.
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In addition to providing electricity to 150,000 people in Burkina Faso, the project will also be accompanied by numerous social and environmental benefits, including training in photovoltaic techniques for 200 young people in the Mouhoun loop region, study grants, a microfinance program for local women, and support for the health system.
