The Malian transitional authorities are unblocking the project to build a 50 MWp solar power plant in the cercle of Kati. The concession granted to the Emirati company Amea Power has made little progress since 2020.
With the Malian population having to cope with power cuts for several weeks now, the government wants to speed up the development of the country’s installed electricity capacity. On Wednesday 8 May 2024, the Council of Ministers approved the first amendment to the concession agreement for the construction of the 50 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant at Tiakadougou-Dialokoro, in the Kati district of the Koulikoro region.
In practical terms, the Malian government is validating the changes made to the agreement signed a few years ago with the Emirati independent power producer (IPP) Amea Power. The modification approved by Bamako concerns several aspects of the project, including the duration of the agreement, the introduction of a partial guarantee, the modification of the price per kWh, and the change from “Take or Pay” to “Take and Pay”.
The first phase of a 100 MWp project
According to Bamako, these measures are designed to remove the obstacles to the implementation of this renewable energy project. “During implementation, various constraints prevented all the conditions precedent from being lifted so that work could begin on the project,” explains Birama Coulibaly, Secretary General of the Malian government.
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The aim of the project is to boost the electricity production capacity of the interconnected grid, while helping to achieve the objectives of integrating renewable energy into the energy mix,” he adds. The rural council of Tiakadougou-Dialokoro will host the first phase (50 MWp) of a 100 MWp project.
The electricity produced will be sold to the state-owned company Énergie du Mali (EDM). The agreement signed in 2020 between Amea Power and the Malian government provided for a 25-year concession period. For the 50 MWp, Amea Power forecast an investment of 44.6 billion CFA francs, or 68 million euros. The parameters have probably changed, hence the amendment approved on 8 May.
Jean Marie Takouleu
