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messages to customers within those areas in issued two tenders for consultants for the be built in two phases. A first, 80 MW unit
order to stop the exploitation. development of a 150MW solar power plant is scheduled for completion next year and a
According to them, the real outrage will which could be linked to energy storage. second, 70 MW section is planned to come
be felt when the huge number of unmetered The regional power grid, through a tender online in 2025.
customers receive their bills for September which closes its expressions-of-interest phase The site’s energy storage capacity may
because the DisCos had failed to implement on September 21, is seeking consultants be increased, depending on grid needs.
the capping on the estimated bill. to draw up an Environmental and Social The government said last year: “According
A customer, who simply identified himself Impact Assessment for the solar park. A to preliminary estimates, the 150 MWp
as Captain, shared the electricity supply report separate procurement exercise, which closes GambiaSolar Park will be combined with
for Sept. 8 under Ikeja Electric network, its first phase on October 5, aims to secure between 100 and 150 MWh of battery
claiming that a total of six hours and thirty-six a transaction advisor to design an auction [capacity].”
minutes was supplied for the day. to allocate one or more independent power Gambia had only 2 MW of solar generation
producers to finance, construct and operate capacity at the end of 2019, according to the
the PV plant. International Renewable Energy Agency. Its 2
The project has been under development million people can call upon only 102 MW of
ESKOM by the government of Gambia since October, total power generation capacity. The Gambian
when work started on a feasibility study electricity network consists mainly of mini-
Ramaphosa says Eskom for the facility. The project is expected to grids which the government hopes to improve
by transforming into hybrid facilities which
sell power to utility the National Water
needs competition & Electricity Company Ltd and is likely include renewables generation.
With an electricity access rate of only 35%,
to be built on a 225ha site near a 225/30
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa kV substation in Soma, which is part of Gambia introduced a Renewable Energy Act
told local journalists on September 9 that the Gambia River Basin Development to promote clean energy in 2013.
Eskom needed competition in order to be Organization energy project.
kept on its toes. The solar plant, which may be coupled
“We’ve agreed that there should be self- with 20 MWh of energy storage capacity for
generation. And there’s a regulation that says grid stabilization purposes, is expected to
it has to be licenced, now that is in our laws, in
our regulations,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that while government
should be looking at a regulatory environment
in Eskom’s best interest, he said it was agreed
that there should be self-generation due to the
power utility’s challenges.
“Then again we’ve also agreed that there
should be competition, there should be
generation that will put Eskom on its toes so it
is that regulatory environment that we need,”
he said.
He said the capacity of the state, in terms
of getting things done, should be the number
one priority.
“As we now go into the recovery
process, we are now going to focus more on
implementation and it will be directed from
the president’s office. The implementation
must happen from a central point so that
there is proper coordination and through that,
we will be hoping to increase the capacity
of the State because then we focus on our
priorities, then we focus on what needs to be
done,” he added.

SOL AR
Gambia seeks consultants

to develop for 15MW of solar

The West African Power Pool of the Economic
Community of West African States has

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 36 10•September•2020