Construction of Mali’s Sikasso to Bamako electricity transmission line begins

Construction works of Sikasso to Bamako electricity transmission line through Bougouni and Sanankoroba to Bamako, the capital city of Mali has begun.

The Sikasso to Bamako electricity transmission line project comprises the construction of a 225kV double circuit line from Sikasso to Bougouni (199 km), a 225kV double circuit line from Bougouni to Sanankoroba (153 km), a 225kV double circuit line from Sanankoroba to Kodialani (30 km) and from Sanankoroba to Dialakorobougou (45 km).

Moreover, it entails the extension of 225kV Sikasso and Kodialani substations, the construction of new 225/33/15 kV substations at Bougouni and Sanankoraba, the construction of a connecting line between Dialakorobougou and Sanankoroba, and connecting the localities of Bougouni, Zantiebougou, Koumantou, Kolondieba, Sido, Keleya and Niena to the grid.

Read:Completion date for Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu transmission line shifted to 2021

Boost in country’s power transmission network capacity

The 398-kilometer Sikasso to Bamako electricity transmission line project is being undertaken by Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited (KPTL) a subsidiary of the Kalpataru Group which is a diversified conglomerate spanning Real Estate, Power Generation and Transmission, Construction of Roads, Factories, Buildings, and Oil and Gas Infrastructure and Agri-Logistics spaces.

KPTL was selected following a tendering process involving only Indian companies, as the project has EXIM Bank of India under the Indian Development Assistance Scheme (IDEAS), as the lead financier. IDEAS provides concessional financing for projects and contributes to infrastructure development and capacity building in the recipient developing countries.

Promoted by the West African country Ministry of Energy and Water, the new transmission line is expected to augment the country’s power transmission network capacity. It will help reduce load-shedding, especially during the hot summer months, in Bamako and other beneficiary cities. It will also form the basis of electrification of over 100 villages, apart from being the backbone for electricity exchange between Mali and the neighboring countries such as as Ghana and Burkina Faso.