The African Development Bank Board, AfDB, has approved US$49.92 million to Build a 30 MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant in Dekemhare, Ivory Coast.
This is expected to contribute to increasing generation capacity and grid energy to 185 MW and 365 gigawatt-hours/year, respectively.
Part of the grant will also be allocated to technical assistance and capacity building to improve the operational performance of the grid and ensure the sustainability of the results achieved and the overall development of the Eritrean power sector.
The project consists of the power generation phase, which includes the design, construction, supply and installation of a 30 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant with a 15 MW/30 MWh battery energy storage system, a 33/66 kV substation and a 66 kV transmission line connected to the existing transmission line between East Asmara and Dekemhare, located about 1 km from the project site.
The second component of the project is technical assistance and capacity building. This component aims to support technical studies for large-scale renewable energy projects to respond to electricity demand within Eritrea Electricity Corporation (EEC) network’s interconnected system, minimize the electricity generation from thermal plants and conduct critical studies of the energy sector, including emission reduction potential of the identified renewable energy projects and their eligibility for co-financing by international climate funds.
The project entails the construction of a grid-connected solar photovoltaic power plant near the town of Dekemhare 40 km southeast of the capital Asmara, and to increase the capacity to supply clean and affordable electricity.
The project will be instrumental in reducing the power deficit, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42,910 Gg CO2-eq per year and reducing the cost of electricity generation to 18.5 US cents per kilowatt hour, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and, in the short to medium term, increasing the grid’s power generation capacity.
