Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-04-19 02:50:00
Madagascar inaugurates a new era of energy with the arrival of equipment for the construction of solar parks in forty-seven districts. Received at the port of Toamasina, this first shipment of one hundred and sixty-three containers marks the beginning of a major project aimed at ending the chronic power cuts that affect various regions of the country.
With an installed capacity of 50 megawatts and a projected production of 70 gigawatt-hours per year, these solar installations represent a strategic collaboration between the state and Jirama. The aim is twofold: to improve access to electricity and reduce energy production costs.
The President expressed his frustration at the exorbitant costs incurred annually for fueling thermal power plants, which amount to 250 million dollars, or approximately 1,200 billion ariary. This amount is nearly equivalent to the total investment budget of the various ministries, which is 1,300 billion ariary.
At the end of the year, faced with financial difficulties, Jirama often has to choose between paying its fuel bills or funding its investment projects and continuing its operations. For the first time, the state has committed to investing in reducing Jirama’s fuel consumption.
This measure will allow the company to do away with costly thermal groups and strengthen its financial stability, the President added optimistically. During the official reception, he emphasized the significant impact of the project. The expected savings amount to 19,000 m³ of fuels per year, representing around 85 billion ariary. The total cost of the project is 286 billion ariary, including equipment acquisition, site preparation, transportation, and construction of power transmission lines, with a 57% contribution from the state.
The equipment includes seventy-five thousand solar panels, supplied by Longi, the global leader in the field. To optimize both costs and installation time without compromising the robustness of the structures, the government chose to use metal screw-shaped bases, implanted in the ground by drilling. The project also includes the integration of energy storage batteries and inverters provided by Huawei, also a global leader. These technologies ensure a lifespan of twenty-five years for the panels and offer guarantees of ten years for the batteries and five years for the inverters.
Installation of the solar parks will begin in May, according to Olivier Jean-Baptiste, Minister of Energy and Hydrocarbons. Approximately five hundred thousand people will directly benefit from this project, which also aims to significantly reduce the fuel consumption of Jirama’s thermal power plants.
Furthermore, the President mentioned another project, Decim, which will increase the coverage of solar parks in thirty-two additional districts in partnership with the World Bank.
This network of solar parks not only provides a solution to power cuts but also fits into a broader approach to promoting renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by fifty-two thousand tonnes per year, illustrating Madagascar’s commitment to sustainable energy independence.
Source: L’Express de Madagascar
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
