The President of the Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has inaugurated the Gorou Banda solar power plant. The plant, located 12 km from the capital Niamey, is the largest photovoltaic solar power plant in the country.
The Gorou Banda solar power plant is equipped with 55,776 solar panels spread over a 27-hectare site. It is expected to be operational from August this year, once it is connected to Niger’s national electricity grid. The primary aim of the power plant is to reduce load shedding in the Niamey region and support the country’s industrialization efforts.
The Niger government estimates that the solar farm will produce 53 GWh of electricity annually, which is sufficient to power around 70,000 homes or provide electricity to approximately 500,000 people in Niamey. Additionally, the plant is projected to prevent the emission of 23,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, contributing to environmental sustainability.
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Gorou Banda solar power plant
The construction of the Gorou Banda solar power plant was carried out by a consortium of French companies, Sogemcom and Akuo Energy, over a period of two years. The project received support and supervision from the Société nigérienne d’électricité (NIGELEC) and the consulting engineer consortium, Artelia/Depe.
The total investment for the project amounted to US $ 34M. The European Union contributed US $6M, while the French Development Agency (AFD) provided a loan of US $26M. The State of Niger also contributed over US $1.6M.
The Gorou Banda solar power plant aims to reduce Niger’s energy dependence on neighboring countries, as the Niamey region currently imports around 70 MW of electricity from Nigeria. By expanding its solar energy capacity, Niger aims to enhance energy security and promote sustainable development in the country. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who was visiting Niger at the time