Savannah Energy To Build 200 MW Solar Power Projects in Niger

A move that is expected to speed up the expansion of renewable energy in Niger, Savannah Energy PLC, a British independent energy company, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with the Niger government for the development of two solar power plants. 

The cumulative capacity of these two projects stands at 200 Megawatt (MW). Savannah Energy Niger Solar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Savannah, signed the agreement.

The company said the two proposed solar plants would likely be located within 20 km of Maradi and Zinder in southern Niger. Each plant is expected to have an installed capacity of between 50 and 100 MW, for a total potential installed capacity of up to 200 MW.

The Solar Projects are expected to generate reliable, affordable energy for Niger; increase overall grid-connected power generation in the country by over 20 percent. In addition, it is expected to avoid an estimated 260,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions, said Savannah.

Savannah said that the Solar Projects are expected to be connected to the South Central section of Niger’s electricity grid. This grid is slated to be interconnected to the Western electricity grid zone (which serves Niamey) by 2026 as part of a World Bank-funded project.

Following the anticipated completion of the required project feasibility studies over the next 12 months, the solar projects are expected to receive project sanction in 2024, with the first power targeted in the 2025 to 2026 window.

The signature ceremony in Niamey was attended by Ibrahim Yacoubou, Minister of State for Energy and Renewable Energies, Catherine Inglehearn, British Ambassador to Niger, and Yacine Wafy, Vice President of West Africa, Savannah.

Savannah expects to fund the Solar Projects from a combination of its own internally generated cashflows and project-specific debt. Ibrahim Yacoubou, Minister of State for Energy and Renewable Energies, said, “These projects are an example of the Republic of Niger’s strategy to increase electricity access for our people at an affordable cost through an expanding energy mix, as we have outlined in our National Strategy of Energy Access and our National Policy Document on Electricity.”

Andrew Knott, CEO of Savannah Energy, said, “These are exactly the sort of high developmental impact projects our renewable energy division is seeking to deliver, with the potential to increase on-grid electricity supply in the country by over 20%.”

These projects come in addition to the up to 250 MW Parc Eolien de la Tarka, the wind farm project signed with Savannah last year, which has strong momentum and is expected to start construction in 2024.

Niger is a power-starved Western African country, with the urban population having about 70% power connections and rural households having just 5%. However, renewable energy expansion is expected to bring much relief to the country’s power sector.