- The government of Mali has announced the construction of a 200 MW solar plant on 314 hectares in the southwestern part of the country.
- The Sanankoroba solar plant will be built by Russia’s Novawind, which is the renewable energy division of nuclear group Rosatom.
Rosatom will build the plant for around XOF 120 billion ($198.6 million), with construction expected to last a year. Mali’s transitional government, led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, has signed a 20-year operation agreement, with the Malian Ministry of Energy to assume control of the project after 10 years.
In October 2023, Mali and Russia agreed to develop civil nuclear power, according to Voice of America (VOA). The construction of two additional 200 MW solar power plants near Bamako is set to begin on May 28 and June 1.
The electricity sector in Mali heavily relies on imported fossil fuels for thermal production. A May 2023 report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stated that in 2020, Mali had a production capacity of 1,024.92 MW, including 162 MW from self-producers – all thermal. Electricity production stood 2,577.44 GWh, comprising 69% thermal energy, 26.8% hydroelectricity, and 4.2% solar.
Author: Marie Beyer
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
