Inauguration of a 50 MW solar power plant at Blitta in Togo
Lomé, 22 June 2021. Mr. Moustapha Ben Barka, Vice-President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD), attended the inauguration ceremony of a 50 MW solar power plant held at Blitta (Togo), under the chairmanship of His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo.
Other participants include, inter alia, Mrs. Victoire Tomegah-Dogbé, Prime Minister of Togo, Mrs. Mila Aziablé, Deputy Minister reporting to the President of the Republic, in charge of Energy and Mines, Mr. Laré Santiégou, Managing Director of the Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET), Mr. Shegun Adjadi Bakari, and Mr. Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Deputy Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
The project involves co-financing of a 50 MWp grid-connected solar power plant in the township of Blitta in the Central Region, 262 km away from Lomé. Its commissioning will: i) ensure access to power for additional 158,333 households as well as the Blitta cotton ginning plant as from 2021; ii) improve the country’s electrification rate from 45% in 2018 to 60% in 2022; and iii) contribute to improved living conditions of the populace in the target communities.
Constructed over 18 months, this power plant comes as a result of an excellent synergy of action between the various donors and the Togolese government. Indeed, construction works started in October 2019 and were completed in March 2021 for a total amount of XOF35.803 billion, with a XOF12 billion contribution from BOAD including XOF7 billion already made available in December 2019, and XOF5 billion under scrutiny, to be made available shortly. The project is co-financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and its subsidiary Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX), for a total amount of XOF14.5 billion, along with AMEA POWER in an amount of XOF9.032 billion, and the Togolese government to the tune of XOF272 million.
In his address, Mr. Ben Barka stressed that this project is fully consistent with the new roadmap which outlines a strategic plan “Togo 2025” involving two major projects in the energy sector: i) the continued implementation of the electrification-for-all policy, with grid extension and deployment of decentralized systems to reach 75% electrification rate by 2025, sustained by the establishment of the Electricity for All Fund, in line with the objective of universal access by 2030; and ii) the increase in power generation, transmission and distribution capacity through the development of sustainable and reliable generation capacities, particularly in solar and hydropower, and the corresponding reinforcement of the transmission and distribution grid.
It is worth recalling that BOAD has made renewable energy one of its priorities to support the sustainable development of its member countries in the coming years, as evidenced by area 3 of its 2021-2025 strategic plan “DJOLIBA”.
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About the West African Development Bank
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) is the common development finance institution of the member countries of the West African Monetary Union (WAMU). It is an international public institution whose purpose, as provided under Article 2 of its Articles of Association, is to promote the balanced development of its member countries and foster economic integration within West Africa by financing priority development projects. It is accredited to the three climate finance facilities (GEF, AF, GCF). Since 2009, BOAD sits as an observer at the UNFCCC and actively participates in discussions on architecting an international climate finance system. Moreso, since January 2013, it has been home to the first Regional Collaboration Centre (RCC) on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), whose aim is to provide direct support to governments, NGOs and the private sector in the identification and development of CDM projects. The Bank is committed to carbon neutrality by 2023. WWW.BOAD.ORG.