The Board of Directors of the Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD) or West African Development Bank during its 137th ordinary meeting, has approved CFA15 billion funding for the construction and operation of a 30 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant with a 15 MW/45 MWh storage system at Niakhar in Senegal, of Teranga Niakhar Storage – a special purpose vehicle owned by Energy Resources Senegal SA (ERS).
The contract of building the system has been awarded to Omexom, a subsidiary of the French group Vinci, and the electricity generated by the solar park will be sold to Senegal’s state-owned utility Senelec. The output will be capable of meeting the power demand of around 150,000 local homes, and will contribute to more secure power supply in the country. The West African country aims to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix to 40 per cent by 2030.