The Government of Mauritania has signed an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) for two energy sector projects worth a total of US$289.5 million, covering solar power generation, transnational electricity interconnection and rural electrification.
Mauritania’s Minister for Economy and Sustainable Development, Abdessalam Mohamed Saleh, initialed the agreement on behalf of Mauritania while Malinne Blomberg, AfDB’s Deputy Managing Director for North Africa, initialed for the bank.
The financing, made up of loans and grants, is intended to implement the 225 Kv Mauritania-Mali electricity interconnection and associated solar power plants development project (PIEMM) as well as the project to strengthen productive and energy investments for the sustainable development of rural areas (RIMDIR).
The first project, the PIEMM, involves building a 225 kV electricity interconnection to link Mauritania to Mali as part of the Desert to Power Initiative.
The program is aimed at developing solar power plants and a 1,373-kilometer high-voltage power line, with a transit capacity of 600 megawatts (MW) between the two countries.
The medium- and long-term objectives are to boost solar energy production and provide universal access to electricity in both countries.
The project is financed on the Mauritanian side by a $272 million loan from the African Development Fund — the concessional window of the Development Bank Group — and a $1.5 million grant from the Green Climate Fund.
This financing is the largest ever granted by the African Development Bank to Mauritania.
The second project, RIMDIR, is a $16 million grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) and concerns rural electrification for 40 localities in south-eastern Mauritania.
This involves the installation of hybrid mini photovoltaic power plants combining a photovoltaic park and a back-up electricity generator, as well as the construction of connecting lines to link the power plants to villages, in the form of a public-private partnership (PPP).
The project will also support value-creating activities, notably in the cold food chain (meat, milk, and vegetables) and agri-food processing.
The African Development Bank has been active in Mauritania for over fifty years in various strategic development sectors, including agriculture, governance, water and sanitation, energy, mining, private sector, transport and social.
“There can be no sustainable, diversified economic growth without high-quality, reliable electricity that is accessible to all.
Within this framework, the government has drawn up ambitious programs seeking to guarantee access to electricity for all citizens by 2030, and this requires the optimal exploitation of the energy sources available in the country, to which this financing from the African Development Bank will contribute,” Abdelssalam Mohamed Saleh said.
Commenting Mrs. Blomberg said, “Today we are signing financing agreements that pave the way for Mauritania’s energy transition.
The two projects will improve people’s daily lives with new opportunities for green growth, sustainable investment and jobs.
They attest to the excellence of our relations with Mauritania, which they help to strengthen.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com/