EREN RE, AEMP to build 15-MW solar park in Burkina Faso

EREN Renewable Energy (EREN RE) and its partner African Energy Management Platform (AEMP) will build a 15-MWp solar farm on the site of a gold mine in Burkina Faso.

The two companies announced today that they have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the output of the said plant with the gold mine operator, namely IAMGOLD Essakane SA. The mine is located 330 km (205 miles) away from Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou and not being hooked to the grid it currently relies only on costly diesel power.

A project company owned 90% by EREN RE and 10% by AEMP will built a USD-20-million (EUR 18.9m) solar plant at the site to form one of the largest hybrid diesel solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the world, the partners said.

The 15-MW solar park is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It will help reduce the mine’s fuel consumption by about 6 million litres (1.59 million gallons) per year.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.943)

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