Mali to receive US $26M for Kourouba mini-hydro plant project

The government of Mali has announced that it is set to receive a sum of US $26M grant from the West African Development Bank (BOAD) for the construction of the Kourouba mini-hydro plant.

Construction of the Kourouba mini-hydro plant is part of the US $52M BOAD-financed Solar Rural Electrification Project (PERS) in Mali. The initiative aims to electrify 70 rural communities with stand-alone solar systems and support access to financial services for productive use of energy. Its implementation will benefit approximately 311,000 rural residents in six regions of Mali.

The project which will be located 90 km from the capital Bamako will commence this year. It, will be equipped with 12 “Very Low Head” type turbines and will have a capacity of 3.9 MW. The facility is expected to have a capacity of 3.9 MWp connected to the electricity grid of the state-owned company Energie du Mali (EDM).and will provide electricity to about 20,000 people in Kourouba, Gouala and Tiakadougou Faraba, in the southwest of the country, where a 33 KV evacuation line will also be constructed.

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Mali’s electricity access rate

According to the World Bank, Mali’s electricity access rate is estimated at 48% in 2019. In this West African country, the government is focusing on diversifying sources of electricity generation, giving priority to renewable energy.

In March 2021, the Malian government approved the construction of two solar photovoltaic plants with a combined capacity of 83 MWp in Fana by Legendre Énergie, the subsidiary of the French group Legendre, and in the Segou circle by the Norwegian independent power producer (IPP) Scatec.

KYA Energy Group, a provider of solar systems in West Africa, has equipped Mali with six hybrid solar power plants in the regions of Sikasso and Segou. The installations have been accepted by the country’s authorities and those of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).