SENEGAL – The government of Senegal through Senegalese firm Energy Resources Senegal (ERS) SA has signed an agreement with Climate Fund Managers (CFM) to jointly develop a solar-plus-storage power plant in Niakhar, an arrondissement of the Fatick Department in the Fatick Region of Senegal.
The solar plant will have a capacity of 30 MWp. The plant will also be equipped with a battery system capable of storing between 15 MWh and 45 MWh of electricity. This combination is set to become the West Africa Country’s first-ever hybrid solar power plant of its size with a significant storage system.
Energy Resources Senegal (ERS) is a supplier of solar photovoltaic systems and Climate Fund Managers (CFM) is a climate investment fund manager.
“ERS is the promoter of the solar project. We will act as environmental and social expert and technical advisor throughout the development process. Together with ERS, we will also own and operate the solar power plant once the work is completed,” says CFM.
“The ERS team have an ambitious pipeline of projects that strongly align with Climate Investor One’s key objectives. This initial project with ERS will serve clean power to over 150,000 people.”
Sebastian Surie – Regional head, CFM Africa
The electricity generated by the Niakhar solar farm will be fed into Senegal’s national electricity grid, improving access to electricity for 150,000 Senegalese. Currently, this West African country is heavily dependent on thermal energy, which is very expensive and harmful to the health of its people and the environment.
The Niakhar solar project is part of a vast project implemented by Energy Resources Senegal. The Senegalese solar photovoltaic system supplier plans to build several more solar photovoltaic power plants in this West African country by 2025.
The company currently operates a 20 MWp solar power plant in Kahone, a city in western Senegal, about 5 km north-east of Kaolack. The plant, which will be commissioned in 2017, currently supplies electricity to 150,000 households.
“We are excited to partner with ERS and deliver a first of its kind renewable solution to the Senegalese energy market. The ERS team have an ambitious pipeline of projects that strongly align with Climate Investor One’s key objectives. This initial project with ERS will serve clean power to over 150,000 people,” said Sebastian Surie, CFM’s regional head for Africa.
ERS has a target to deliver 500 MW of diverse types of energy projects by 2025.
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