The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has announced that the development partners have committed to mobilise funding for a multinational power transmission line connecting Mauritania and Mali, with an investment of USD900 million.
Mauritania’s state-owned Societe Mauritanienne D’electricite (SOMELEC) and its counterpart in Mali Energie du Mali SA (EDMSA) will be developing the interconnector. The AfDB Group, which has worked closely with both countries to prepare the project, has confirmed its interest in co-funding. The proposed 225 kV transmission line is an essential link in the regional electricity transmission system called the ‘trans-Sahel spine,’ which is currently being studied. It will link Mauritania to Chad via three landlocked countries – Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. The proposed high voltage transmission line will link new renewable energy parks to the sub-region’s power grid. The project also aligns with AfDB’s Desert-to-Power initiative, which is set to be the world’s largest solar power generation area, increasing solar production capacity by 100 MW and expanding networks across nearly 1,500 km of 225 kV lines.