Togo Launches 50 MW Solar PV Project in Record Time
A utility-scale renewable energy project has been launched in Togo, having been developed in record-breaking time and at the hands of renewable energy developer AMEA Power.
The 50-Megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) project, Togo’s first utility-scale renewable energy project to be developed by an independent power producer, reached commercial operation within 18 months of the power purchase agreement being signed.
Developed during the Covid-19 pandemic and in record-breaking time, the Togo solar PV project is also one of the largest solar PV independent power producer developments in West Africa.
The name of the solar PV plant, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed, has been inspired by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
AMEA Togo Solar, a subsidiary of AMEA Power, which itself is a subsidiary of United Arab Emirates investment company Al Nowais Investments, built the project.
Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed is located just over 250km from Togo’s capital city, Lomé, and it is expected to generate energy of almost 90,255 MWh per annum. This will be enough to power approximately 158,333 Togolese houses every year. Of the energy produced, 9% will go to the local Blitta distribution network, providing enough energy to meet the areas energy demands.
The plant, which will be operated by AMEA Togo Solar for 25 years, will help Togo to meet its USD 8 billion 2018-2022 National Development Plan (NDP), which seeks to achieve access to electricity for all by 2030. The NDP also aims to boost Togo’s energy generated from renewable sources to 50%.
Concessional loans from the West African Development Bank and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development provided financial support for the solar project.
“Togo was an obvious choice for AMEA Power’s first operational power plant in Africa, with it being an important trade hub in West Africa, along with the government’s progressive regulatory framework for renewable energy projects,” explained AMEA Power’s chair Hussain Al Nowais in a statement.
Al Nowais said that AMEA Power also has several other projects underway, which are due to reach financial completion this year.
Minister Delegate to the President of the Republic, Mila Aziable, also in charge of Energy and Mines in Togo, emphasised: “The development of the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed PV plant is an excellent example of a successful public-private partnership in Africa, with AMEA Power utilising Togo’s committed implementation unit and favourable investment climate to pre-fund a large-scale renewable energy project on balance sheet.”
Renewable energy projects are receiving continued interest both in Africa and beyond. Clifford Chance and Linklaters providing finance for Biovéa Project in Aboisso, Côte d’Ivoire, which will be the biggest agricultural waste-powered plant in West Africa.
In April, the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, a public private partnership, agreed to lend EUR 29 million for the development of a solar plant in one of West Africa’s poorest countries.
Outside of Africa, Hawaii has recently become the site for a pair of utility-scale solar projects which will add 300 MWh of energy storage to the island of O’ahu’s energy grid.
Source: iclg
