75,000 solar panels to light up Senegal

© Greenwish Partner

Bokhol photovoltaic plant, inaugurated in October 2016, raises renewable-energy production share in West Africa.

In arid northern Senegal, not far from the border with Mauritania, the Bokhol photovoltaic plant covers a 40-hectare site. The 75,000 solar panels deployed here produce 20 MW of electricity, making Bokhol the largest solar plant in West Africa.

Senegal’s Senergy 2 solar power plant will supply electricity to 160,000 people in a country where nearly 50% of the population has no access to electrical power.

The Senergy 2 solar power plant, which was inaugurated in October 2016, will supply electricity to 160,000 people in Senegal, a country where nearly 50% of the population has no access to electrical power. The facility also raises the renewable-energy production share in Senegal’s energy mix, with a “green power” target of 20% for 2017. Senergy 2 reduces the release of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 23,000 tonnes per year.

© Greenwish Partner

More power plants to come

The photovoltaic plant was built in eight months by Omexom (VINCI Energies), which will also oversee operations and maintenance. Funding for the facility was provided by GreenWish Africa REN, a consortium that brings together local and foreign funders. Total investment for this power plant, designed to operate for 25 years, is €26 million.

Implementation of the Bokhol project is a first step in Senegal’s plan to catch up on energy production in keeping with COP21 and its emphasis on renewable-energy production in the energy mix.
Other plants will be launched by 2017, including solar and wind-powered facilities, such as the plant at Malikounda (20-MW capacity), two other plants (29 MW each), and the Taïba Ndiaye wind farm (150 MW).