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Mali has kicked off the construction of a major solar photovoltaic power plant with the help of Russia. This project comes after the two countries recently signed a civil nuclear agreement.
The plant, which is largest in the sub-region of West Africa, will mitigate the current power shortages, states Malian Energy Minister Bintou Camara. It comes as the country continues to be plagued by electricity supply problems, with only half of the population having access to electricity. The 200 MW solar plant will cover 314 hectares in Sanankoroba, near Bamako. Grigory Nazarov, director of Novawind, a subsidiary of Russian company Rosatom, said the plant will boost Mali’s electricity production by 10%.
Mali is currently facing a severe electricity crisis that affects various economic sectors. In recent weeks, power outages have lasted up to 18 hours a day. The director general of the national electricity company said the country needs 500 million liters of fuel to meet its electricity needs for 2024.
The work, which is costing over USD 217 million, will take a year to complete, Nazarov said. The solar power plant is designed for “stable operation for 20 years” and will come “under full control of the Malian Ministry of Energy” after 10 years, he added.
Malian electricity production is 70% thermal, which is extremely costly, Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou said in March when the deal with NovaWind was signed. Burdened with a debt of more than USD 330 million, Mali’s national energy company is no longer able to supply electricity to the capital and other towns around the country.
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Moscow has steadily gained influence in Mali through the deployment of Wagner Group mercenaries, unofficially serving the Kremlin’s aims in resource-rich Africa since the 2010s. During a call in March, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malian junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita discussed strengthening “cooperation in energy, agricultural and mining projects,” the Kremlin said.
