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The World Bank(WB) has announced that it will support the development of Guinea-Bissau’s first solar power plants. Guinea-Bissau wants to integrate solar energy into its electricity mix. As part of its Solar Energy and Access to Electricity Development Project, the government of this West African country will receive support from the World Bank Group until 2030.
Like other West African countries, Bissau wants to use this solution to decarbonise its electricity production and accelerate the electrification of its population. The financial institution based in Washington in the United States of America has already approved the disbursement of 30 million dollars in the form of a grant. Its subsidiary, the International Development Association (IDA), is also expected to contribute USD 35 million, followed by a USD 2.65 million grant from the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). For its part, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is pledging USD 10.5 million to implement the Solar Energy Development and Access to Electricity Project.
The Solar Energy Development and Electricity Access Project focuses on the construction of several solar power plants and battery electricity storage units, with the participation of the private sector. Near the capital Bissau, a 30 MWp solar power plant will be built to reduce the average cost of electricity in the country and diversify the energy mix, while battery storage will make it possible, in the first phase, to smooth the injection curve and, in the second phase, to provide services to the electricity system.
The government of Guinea-Bissau will also support the installation and operation by private partners of mini-grids on two or three of the Bijagós islands (Bolama, Rubane, and Bubaque). The mini grids will be powered by renewable energies. Around 500 kWp of solar photovoltaic capacity combined with batteries or diesel generators. These installations will supply electricity to 1,200 households, shops, hotels, and other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For the World Bank, the project should benefit residential, commercial, and industrial consumers throughout Guinea-Bissau, including the islands. It will also support the government’s efforts to create an environment conducive to private sector participation, as well as to stimulate economic growth and create green jobs.
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The main aim of this initiative is to accelerate electrification, since only 33% of the population of Guinea-Bissau has access to electricity, and around 58% in the capital, Bissau. Electricity is not only scarce, it is also very expensive, making it one of the most expensive in Africa. However, the country has significant untapped solar resources, which would be the cheapest and quickest approach to bridging the electricity supply gap.
