The African Development Bank (AfDB) is granting $302.9 million to Mauritania and Mali. The loan will support the construction of an electricity line linking the two countries. The project will include several solar power plants.
The electricity interconnection project between Mali and Mauritania is gradually being put in place, with the support of development partners. This is the case of the African Development Bank (AfDB), which has just granted $302.9 million through its African Development Fund (ADF) for its implementation. The loan comprises $269.6 million for Mauritania and $33.3 million for Mali.
The project, which will require an investment of 888 million dollars, involves the construction of a 225 kV high-voltage line between Mali and Mauritania. The power line will be built in three lots, one in Mali and two in Mauritania, for a total length of 1,500 km. Along its route, the project will make it possible to install 2,000 km of medium- and low-voltage electricity distribution network.
Construction of two photovoltaic solar power plants
This is a strategic project for the AfDB, which has included it in its Desert to Power programme. Two solar power plants, each with a capacity of 50 MWp, will be built in Kiffa and Néma in Mauritania. The electricity produced will be transported by the new high-voltage line, which has a transmission capacity of 600 MW.
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According to the AfDB, the interconnection project between Mauritania and Mali will enable 100,000 new households (80,000 in Mauritania and 20,000 in Mali) to be connected to the electricity grid in the localities crossed. In addition, the project will create opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurship and services for young people and women.
Facilitating the construction of new power stations
In addition, “the interconnection will make it possible to develop new renewable energy power stations, whose production will be more integrated into the interconnected networks. Bringing them on stream will facilitate access to high-quality, low-carbon electricity at an affordable price”, assures the financial institution based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. “The permanent availability of quality electricity at an affordable cost will strengthen the resilience of the populations in the beneficiary localities. In Mali, the project will be implemented in the Kayes region and will benefit 500,000 inhabitants, including 20,000 households in the 50 localities that will be connected to the network”, explains Adalbert Nshimyumuremyi, head of the AfDB country office in Mali.
The AfDB’s Desert to Power programme aims to harness the Sahel’s solar potential by developing an installed capacity of 10,000 MW. The 11 beneficiary countries include Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan.
Jean Marie Takouleu
