The launch of the Ayémé Plaine solar photovoltaic power plant in Gabon comes almost six months after the signing of the related framework agreement (in March 2022) between the Gabonese Minister of Energy and Hydraulic Resources, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, and Praveen Pai, Solen’s Operations Manager. The company, which is implementing the power supply project, has until July 2023 to deliver the future installation.
Initially, Solen SA Gabon, the subsidiary of Solen Renewable Dubai, will install solar panels with a combined capacity of 60 MWp, equipped with a 15-hour battery energy storage system.
Strengthening the electricity supply to the population
In its second phase, the project will install an additional 60 MWp of solar photovoltaic panels, also equipped with a 15-hour battery energy storage system. This will form a 120 MWp solar power plant spread over a 251 hectare site in the locality of Ayémé Plaine, located some thirty kilometres from the capital Libreville.
The aim is to complete the electricity mix in the Estuaire region in order to provide the population of this province with electricity that is both competitive and that will effectively help to solve the problem of load shedding. In addition, the future solar power plant will help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the target area.
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For the future solar power plant, Solen will finance, install and operate it. The company will sell its output to the Gabonese Water and Energy Company (SEEG) for 25 years under a power purchase agreement (PPA). In the long term, the Gabonese government aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity mix to 80% by 2030.
Inès Magoum