The African Development Bank(AfDB) has approved a €48.82 million loan for Burkina Faso. The investment goes to the Yeleen solar power plant, with the intention of boosting national power supply.
If all goes as planned, the Yeleen project will be complete in 2024, with a total cost estimate of €136.69 million. Other financers of the project include Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Union (EU), and Société Nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso (SONABEL).
Under the project, four new 52MWp photovoltaic (PV) plants will be constructed. Henceforth, this will extend power distribution networks to connect 30,000 new households.
This project will therefore augment the Bank’s efforts to ensure inclusive access to energy through improvements in rural electrification, regional interconnections and energy sector reforms. Notably, it will also increase Burkina Faso’s generation capacity by 15%, which will greatly help to reduce Burkina Faso’s reliance on fossil fuel imports.
Wale Shonibare, AfDB’s Acting Vice-President for Power, Energy, Climate Change & Green Growth
Power production in Burkina Faso is mainly based on thermal power plants. This has thus been a driving force for the country to diversify through solar power plant projects. The project will, therefore, install about 50 MWp of PV production capacity on a large power plant near Ouagadougou. Other regional areas within which the installations will occur are Dori, Diapaga and Gaoua.
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