Burkina Faso inaugurates West Africa's biggest solar plant

Burkina Faso today opened a 33-MW solar power plant, hailed as the biggest in West Africa.

The Zatgouli solar plant was inaugurated by French president Emmanuel Macron and Burkina Faso's president Roch Marc Christian Kabore. The project is funded by a EUR-25-million (USD 29.6m) grant from the European Union and a EUR-22.5-million loan from the French Agency for Development (AFD).

Le projet de la Centrale solaire de Zagtouli devenu réalité va changer la vie du Burkina Faso en luttant contre le réchauffement climatique. pic.twitter.com/YPOPmvGklk

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 29, 2017

In a statement, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica said the solar plant will connect up to 660,000 people to more affordable, reliable and clean energy, providing 6% of Burkina Faso's energy production. The facility is connected to both national and regional grids as the EU, AFD and the European Investment Bank (EIB) provided additional funding for a link to Ghana.

The project supports the goal of the Burkina Faso government to add 100 MW of solar to the national network by 2020, representing some 30% of its energy production, according to the announcement.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.184)

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