Page 10 - AfrElec Week 21 2021
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AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec
InfraCo Africa signs PPA for
40-MW solar IPP in Guinea
GUINEA INFRACO Africa and Electricité de Guinée project contributes to the energy transition on
(EDG) have signed a 25-year power purchase the African continent. It combines photovoltaic
agreement (PPA) for Guinea’s Khoumagueli solar energy with hydroelectricity produced in
Solar IPP project. Guinea, reduces the need for thermal energy and
The 40-MW Khoumagueli Solar project will reduces the cost of electricity.”
be Guinea’s first grid-connected solar photovol- Guinea has a national electrification rate
taic (PV) plant. of 35.4%. Guinea’s existing electricity supply is
The project is designed to complement power largely derived from hydropower, which can be
generation at the nearby 75-MW Garafiri hydro- susceptible to seasonal fluctuations in rainfall:
power plant (HPP). 84% of businesses report power outages caus-
The PPA follows on from the signing of a con- ing financial losses equivalent to around 4.7% of
cession agreement in February 2019. annual sales.
The facilities will combine to maximise deliv- Despite poor reliability, demand for power is
ery of renewable energy to the national grid, with expected to rise sharply due to a forecast expan-
Khoumagueli Solar expected to mitigate against sion of the country’s mining industry and eco-
the impact of fluctuating rainfall on hydropower nomic growth.
generation at the Garafiri plant. The Government of Guinea has prioritised
InfraCo Africa’s CEO, Gilles Vaes, said: “The the development of the energy sector as part of
PPA signing is a key milestone for the Khoum- the country’s National Development Plan Eco-
agueli Solar project, which will deliver reliable, nomic and Social Council (2016-2020). The
affordable power to Guinea’s homes and busi- government is specifically seeking to exploit
nesses. During these uncertain times, it is admi- Guinea’s solar power potential to diversify the
rable that the teams involved have continued country’s energy mix and increase the availabil-
their work to achieve the signing of this impor- ity and reliability of power.
tant agreement. As one of Guinea’s earliest renewable IPP ini-
“The signing demonstrates the ongoing com- tiatives, Khoumagueli has used grant funding
mitment of EDG and the Government of Guinea secured from PIDG’s Technical Assistance and
to developing the country’s clean energy sector.” from ADEME (Agence De l’Environnement et
The project is being developed by InfraCo de la Maitrise de l’Energie) to support work to
Africa – part of the Private Infrastructure Devel- build government capacity to undertake renew-
opment Group (PIDG) – and French solar PV able energy projects with the private sector.
developer Solvéo Energie. The project is also Vaes stated: “InfraCo Africa is committed to
supported by Aldwych Africa Developments. delivering Paris-aligned power projects in fron-
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) named tier markets such as Guinea which are embark-
Khoumaguéli Solar S.A (the project company) ing upon a journey to private power generation
has been established under Guinean law, with and large-scale renewables. We are also explor-
the purpose of developing and constructing the ing other project opportunities in the country
power plant. and look forward to deepening our involvement
Jean-Marc Mateos, president of the Sol- in Guinea.”
veo Group, said: “The Khoumagueli Solar
P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 21 27•May•2021
