- The energy infrastructure in the rural region of Casamance, in the south of Senegal, is greatly lacking.
- Many households are not connected to the power grid and the supply of electricity – which, for the most part, has been produced using imported fossil fuels to date – remains unstable.
DEG is now investing in a photovoltaic systems with battery storage operated by Axian Energy. This is in order to help the region develop and to improve its electricity supply and also to increase the use of renewable energies there. The overall investment volume is around EUR 100 million, of which EUR 23 million will be provided by DEG. Other investors are Dutch development finance provider FMO and the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF).
Scheduled for completion in 2026 ,a solar-plus-storage project located in Kolda, will feature a 60 MW solar plant and a 72 MWh battery energy storage system.
This means that they will be able to provide an estimated 235,000 people with green electricity. The 72 MWh battery storage will help to safeguard the supply of power for up to three hours during evening peak times and increase the stability of the power grid. In this way, renewable energies will be integrated into the power supply, helping Senegal to produce at least 40% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
As one of the largest development finance providers in Europe, DEG has been focusing even more on high-impact and environmentally friendly investments since 2022. Its renewable energies portfolio is currently in the region of EUR 1 billion. In 2023, the energy providers co-financed by DEG produced approximately 32 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity from renewable energy, meeting the needs of over 32 million people and preventing 22 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
