- Dubai-based Amea Power has announced the commissioning of the Zina solar plant in Mouhoun province, Burkina Faso.
- The 26.6 MW installation will be operated under a 25-year electricity purchase contract with the country’s national electricity company, Sonabel.
The project was initiated in 2009 as part of a public/private partnership between Burkina Faso’s government and Canadian mining company Semafo, with the aim of supplying electricity to the Mana gold mine. In 2013, the project company separated from Semafo and became Windiga Énergie Burkina – it still holds 5% of the assets today.
The construction contract was originally entrusted to French developer Bouygues Energies & Services, which was also in charge of operating the installation and maintaining it. At a later stage, however, Amea Power took over 90% of the project’s capital from Windiga and hired a new engineering, procurement and construction contractor, China-based Sinohydro. The project also included the construction of a 90 kV transmission line between the localities of Pâ and Mana.
The construction of the plant was financed by International Finance Corp. (IFC), the IFC-Canada Climate Change Program, and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund.
Burkina Faso plans to add about 500 MW of renewable capacity by 2025. In December 2023, the government inaugurated two solar power plants combining 68 MW of installed capacity in Kôdéni and Pâ.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the country had an installed PV capacity of 177 MW.
Author: Marie Beyer
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
