Rédaction Africa Links 24 with AZ Africa Links 24
Published on 2024-04-16 17:16:06
Burkina: Parliament Ratifies a 30 Billion CFA Franc Chinese Loan for the Construction of the Donsin Solar Power Plant
Ouagadougou, April 16, 2024 (Africa Links 24) – The Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT) unanimously adopted on Tuesday the bill authorizing the ratification of the concessional loan agreement between Burkina Faso and the China Export-Import Bank (China Eximbank) for the construction of a solar power plant in Donsin, with a cost of 30 billion CFA francs.
The loan agreement, signed on September 29, 2023, between the Burkinabe government and the Chinese import-export bank, concerns the financing of the construction project of a 25MWc solar power plant with 5MW/20MWh of storage in Donsin, Oubritenga province, in the Central Plateau region.
The Minister of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, Yacouba Zabré Gouba, who represented the government before the deputies, explained that the particularity of this power plant lies in its storage capacity. According to him, the storage will allow smoothing out the grid to cope with grid disturbances caused by intermittencies. The head of the energy sector also explained that the project will secure the Donsin airport in terms of energy supply and increase national production by 45 gigawatt-hours per year, representing a 6% increase in current production. It will also connect over 50,000 new households and train more than 50 energy sector professionals.
The construction of the 25MWc Donsin solar power plant was scheduled to start in January 2024 with an execution period of 15 months. “The company has agreed to start the work with its own funds as soon as the project is approved by the transitional legislative assembly,” reassured Minister Gouba. According to him, this proactive approach will help make up for any delays.
Burkina Faso is facing a structural energy deficit that results in frequent power outages, hindering the development of various economic sectors.
Burkina Information Agency
With DCRP/Energy and Mines
[Link to the image source: image]
Read the original article(French) on Agence d’Information du Burkina
